


InuYasha: Fates of the Souls

by Berticus



Series: InuYasha: Fates of the Souls [1]
Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-02
Updated: 2017-09-27
Packaged: 2018-05-24 09:30:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 76,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6149107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Berticus/pseuds/Berticus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When an American has the chance to visit Japan on an Ambassador's program, the Higurashi family offers room and board. His trip takes a turn as he winds up in the Feudal Era, where he meets Inuyasha and the others. The strange event that brought him to the cruel and unforgiving past, leads everyone to believe that his arrival has some sort of significance. While making friends, and avoiding the wrath of a Demon set on revenge against him, this young man must call on all the strength he can in order to survive.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Arrival

The plane eased closer to the runway on its descent; as it touched solid ground, a small bump shook the passengers inside, but it was nothing new to most of them. They all gently rocked as they readjusted from the slight turbulence. The day was sunny and clear at Haneda Airport and no problems occurred with the plane’s landing. After reducing its speed along the long stretch of asphalt, the metal bird began to slowly taxi over to the Jet Way. The pilot’s voice came over the PA system, first speaking in Japanese for the native returning passengers and then in clear-cut English.

“Ladies and gentleman thank you for flying with us, we know it’s been a long flight and we hope you enjoy your time here as you visit Tokyo, Japan. And for our native travelers, welcome home.”

Inside the airport, a family was waiting for an arrival, although the person they were waiting on was not family, but an awaited guest

“Do you know what he looks like?”  
“Yes Mom, I made sure to bring the picture with me.”  
“Hey look! People are getting off the plane now!”

The mother, daughter, and son stood there waiting patiently as passengers billowed from the Jet Way. Periodically they would look at the picture and then back to the gate. The son, who was younger, started jumping up and down and pointing.

“There he is! Wow he’s tall!”

They could see him walking among the crowd of people, taller than most of them. He was an American; the daughter looked at the picture again and remembered what his application had said. He was twenty-one years old, looking to learn about Japanese culture and hoping to get in a vacation at the same time; he loves video games, and is always looking for new experiences. Just like the picture, he had brown hair and brown eyes. He didn’t look twenty-one at all. More like he was about sixteen or so, with no facial hair and a bit of a baby face. The American almost looked harmless. He had had the fortune to be picked for an Ambassador’s program, which allowed him to take this trip. The program was meant for younger people in order to promote education about other cultures and countries. Japan was his preferred choice and fortunately a family right in the middle of Tokyo had offered him a place to stay.

“What’s his name again?” The mother asked as her eyes peered through the crowd.  
“It’s Brent, Brent Miller.” The daughter shows her the picture.  
“Hey over here!” The son yells as he waves his arms.

Brent had stopped and was looking at a picture in his hand; it was of the family he would be staying with in Tokyo. The photograph showed a mother with her two children, and teenage daughter and young son, and who appeared to be their grandfather; everyone was smiling brightly, except for the elder man. His head bobbed up and down as he looked around the airport for them. When he saw the younger son jumping up and down a smile crossed Brent’s face. Moving through the crowd of families and friends, he could be seen pardoning himself. It took only a few moments, but he finally reached them.

“You’re the Higurashi family?” Brent asks, adjusting the strap of his carry-on bag.  
“Yes dear! It’s so nice to meet you!” Ms. Higurashi says.  
“You’re really tall Mr. Brent!” The young boy says.

Brent just laughs and looks down at him, “Tallest person in my family, but just by a bit. You must be Sota.” Brent says with a warm smile.  
“Yeah! And this is my sister Kagome!”  
“Hi. It’s so nice to meet you! It’ll be nice to get to know you more!” Kagome says as she holds out her hand, Brent takes her hand gently as they shake.

“Your English is really good! I’ve been reading up on some quick Japanese just in case, but I’ve honestly been afraid that I’d make myself look like an idiot.” 

He pulled out the book that he’d been reading from the side pocket of his bag to show them and the family all chuckled.

“You don’t need to worry Brent, my children and I all attended schools that taught English. Though Grandpa might be a bit more reluctant…”  
“Don’t worry Mom, I’m sure Grandpa will like Brent.” Kagome says.  
“Let’s hurry home! Kagome told me you like video games? You gotta play some with me!” Sota says excitedly.  
“Hahaha! Alright little man, but I’ve been playing longer than you so don’t get cocky!”

After visiting the baggage claim and grabbing Brent’s suitcase, they all headed outside to hail a taxi. For the entire length of the car ride, Sota was going on and on about the games he had, and how high his scores were. Brent could barely get a word in edgewise, even to mention the games that he had played and owned himself. It made him laugh at how excited the young boy would get, though he knew he had had the same enthusiasm when he was at Sota’s age. Kagome smiled and rolled her eyes at Sota.

After a while, taxi pulled up along the sidewalk and in front of a tall set of steps. Everyone gets out, and while Ms. Higurashi pays the taxi, Brent grabs his suitcase and bag out of the trunk, and takes a moment to look up the stairs. 

“I thought you all lived in the city?” He asks says looking slightly confused.  
“We do dear, but we just have our own bit of land within it.” Ms. Higurashi says as she walks by.  
“Our home is also a shrine, that’s the reason why we have our own land within the city.” Kagome says as she walks along beside him.  
“Really? What kind of-whoa...” At the top of the steps he pauses and looks around; their home was gorgeous. 

The home itself had two floors, green shingles lined the roof. A large, weathered tree sat off to the right of their home, providing ample amounts of shade. Closer to them over toward the right, a fountain trickled gently. The fountain was round, surrounded by smooth oval-shaped rocks, with a small upper level for the water to fall from. Off to the back there was an older shed, sitting halfway under the trees and looking rather lonely.

“And here I thought I’d be staying in a skyscraper, Kagome this place is beautiful!”  
“Thanks! We do our best to keep it this way. It isn’t always the easiest thing in the world, but it’s worth it!” Kagome smiles.  
“You know, I’ve been here all of two minutes, and I already feel at home. It feels so familiar here.”  
“Let’s go inside. You still need to meet my grandfather.” Kagome leads the way inside as she slides the door open.

“Grandpa! Grandpa? Our guest is here!”  
“Here Mr. Brent, I’ll take you stuff to the room!” Sota says as he rushes forward.  
“You can just call me Brent buddy, and thanks!”

Sota rushes off with the wheels on the pull-luggage rolling loudly, just as their grandfather comes around the corner.

“Sota be careful! You can’t run through the house like—oh, hello. You must be that American boy.”  
“Hello sir, my name is Brent.”  
“Yes yes, they told me. They also told me I’d be giving up my room!”

Brent’s smile suddenly disappears and is replaced with widened eyes and an awkard stare.

“Uhhh...”  
“Grandpa! It’s only for-“  
“You’re still putting an old man out of his room!”

Kagome and her grandfather begin arguing with Brent looking back and forth between the two; finally he came up with an idea.

“Hey whoa whoa! Look I can room with Sota. It’s no trouble at all! Really!” He says standing between them.

The two of them stop arguing and look at him. Kagome looking worried.

“Are you sure? You don’t have to do that.” She says.  
“Yes I’m sure. I don’t want to put anyone out of place. Besides, Sota seems to like me and we can just play his games. It’s fine. Really!”  
“Hmmmm...Well at least one person can respect my space!” Grandpa says walking off.  
“I’m so sorry, Grandpa tends to be...”  
“Don’t worry about it. I know how grandparents can be. You should meet my grandma.”  
“Well thank you. It’s probably better this way. He would just keep complaining.”  
“You think that’s bad? Geez, have I got stories for you.” 

As Kagome shows Brent around, they chat and laugh. Brent talks about his friends back home and cracks jokes keeping Kagome laughing as they walk around. They stop at the large tree that sits off to the side of the property.

“Whoa, this tree looks old. I feel like there’s a lot of history here.”

Kagome thinks to herself a moment and then puts on a smile, “Oh yeah, it’s been here ages. I think over 500 years.”  
“Really? Wow...Can’t imagine the history it has lived through...What’s that over there?” He asks, gesturing over to the small old building, sitting in the shade behind the property.

“Oh that’s nothing at all, just a shed. There’s an old well in there, but it’s been dry for as long as I can remember.” She smiles but looks a little embarrassed.  
“Oh I see. That’s a shame, building looks pretty old too.”  
“Kagome! Brent! Come get ready! We’re going to miss the Festival!” Kagome’s mother yells out the back door.  
“Wait...a festival?” Brent asks.  
“Oh yeah! Hiwatari-sai! Come on!” She runs by grabbing his hand.  
“The Hirawi what?”  
“You’ll see! Let’s get ready!”

After rushing inside, the entire family, along with Brent, got ready for the festival. Brent comes down and sees everyone dressed in Kimono’s or robes, all while he’s standing there in jeans, a button up shirt, and a sports jacket. 

“Uh...Well...I’ve never felt more out of place...”  
“Oh nonsense dear, you look fine!” Ms. Higurashi says.  
“Don’t worry so much!” Kagome teases.

Grandpa leads the way outside and they all make their way down the steps. The festival was taking place in just a few hours away up on Mt. Takao, and it would be quite a sight for the Higurashi’s guest. Hiwatari-sai, The Fire-Walking Festival.


	2. Hiwatari-sai

The group of five had walked to one of the stations that would take them up to Mt. Takao. Along the way Brent had gotten some strange looks from some people, and it had made him a little uneasy, which hadn’t gone unnoticed by Kagome.

“Hey, don’t worry so much, many people here don’t regularly see Americans.” 

Looking down at her and her soft smile eased things up as he smiled back. “Thanks…Just have to adjust here I guess.”  
“Just have fun! It should be the only thing you have to worry about!” Kagome smiles and pats his upper arm.  
“You’ll really like this festival Brent! They put on a great show!” Sota chimes in.

Brent’s eyes still showed his uneasiness, but he smiled anyway. The train they had taken in particular wouldn’t take them all the way to the top, but would stop short to let passengers off who wanted to walk the rest of the way up along one of the many trails that wound their way up the mountain.

“We’ll be walking the rest of the way, so I hope you have on comfortable shoes!” Ms. Higurashi said when the doors opened up. “It takes about thirty minutes to walk up to the top.”  
“Well fortunately I wore my favorite sneakers.” Brent looked down at his black and white Nike’s.  
“I can’t believe you’re going to make an old man climb this mountain.” Grandpa scowled.  
“Oh Grandpa, you’ve climbed the trails many times. Settle down.” Ms. Higurashi says.  
“That’s not the point!”  
“Well I want our guest to see the beauty of our home, take the lift if you like Grandpa.” Ms. Higurashi smiled as she led the way.  
“Well fine! I’ll be waiting.”

With that, the eldest member of the family left and headed for the lift leading right to the top. Ms. Higurashi continued to lead the way as they walked across the well cared for path. As they begin their ascent, Brent stopped at the posted sign, showing the name of the trail.

“So we’re taking the—Inar—Inariy—OK I’m not going to try and say it, because I’m just going to sound like a moron.” Brent shook his head.

Both Kagome and Sota laughed as Sota walked up to the sign and pointed at the name. “It’s the Inariyama Trail!” The young boy said.  
“Well, now I know how to pronounce it. Thanks to you, I won’t make myself look stupid.” Brent tussles the young boy’s hair as they start up the trail. 

The trail that they were on was one of many, but this one was the most scenic. On the horizon, the sun was setting, and casting a brilliant orange glow over everything. Many lilies and hydrangea’s lined the trail as they ascended it, but had not blossomed yet. But there was still a beauty to them with the setting sun painting them orange, and it had made Brent wish he’d brought a camera. Upon reaching a specific point of the trail, Kagome’s mother stopped and pointed toward the city.

“This is one of the best views of our city Brent. Look!” She smiled at him as he stopped next to her.

The family waited for his reaction as his gaze met the Tokyo Skyline, and it made them smile. His eyes widened, his jaw slowly dropped, and he took a couple steps forward. Slowly his head turned back and forth as he went to take in the scene completely. All the skyscrapers had lights on in various rooms, part of the countryside could be seen of to the side, and Brent even thought he could see the Higurashi’s home. The sunset blazed off in the distance, with the sun halfway gone, the orange glow claiming everything that it possibly could. It was the type of scene you would see in a painting; each stroke perfectly placed.

“This...This is beautiful! I…” His words had failed him at that point as he tried to search for what to say.

That was when he heard a click, followed by a small cranking sound. He looked over to see Ms. Higurashi holding a disposable camera.

“I took the liberty to snap some pictures for you! So you can always remember your trip.”  
“Wow…Thank you! I uh—I don’t know what else to say!” Brent replied as the biggest smile the Higurashi’s had seen, appeared on his face.  
“Come on, we still have a bit of a walk ahead of us!” Kagome said as she went ahead.

Before they continued up the trail, Brent took one last glance, trying to store all the details in his mind. Sota turned around and waved for Brent, who turned and started to run up after them in order to catch up. By the time they reached the top, the preparations for the festival had finished; torches were lit, crowds had gathered, and the people performing for the festival were getting into place. After finding Grandpa, who was sitting on a bench nearby, they found a good spot to watch.

“You guys never told me what this—are those…coals?” Brent looked over to where all the action will be, and noticed the burning coals.  
“This is Hiwatari-sai! The Fire-Walking Festival!” Kagome replied, eager for things to start.  
“Fire-Walking?” The American responded with wide eyes.  
“Yes, those are the Yamabushi monks. They walk through the fire, so to speak, and chant prayers. They practice Shugendo and—“Ms. Higurashi went on to explain the festival while they watched.

Brent leaned slightly towards her so he could listen, but his eyes never left the spectacle before him. The Monks walked and danced around on the coals, and none of them seemed to be in pain. It was quite the experience, even for the native watchers. Everyone watched intently, and some of them even chanted with the Monks, which further heightened the experience. Brent was enjoying himself, seeing these brave men literally playing with fire. While performing their prayers upon the flaming bed, the sun slowly set, disappearing from sight. With the area now cast in darkness, only the torches and bed of coals provided any light, and after what seemed to be hours of watching these men, they all finally walked off the coals and bowed. Their performance was met with thunderous applause, after which they walked off in a single-file line. That was when an official came out and started speaking in Japanese and proceeded to walk off without a second thought about interpreting what he said into English.

“Uhhh…So what was he saying?” Brent asked with a confused look and a raised brow.  
“That, if anyone wishes to, they may walk across the coals themselves. There are officers watching to ensure safety.” Kagome says.  
“Go do it Brent! Come on!” Sota excitedly glanced up at him.  
“Whoa-ho-ho-ho! I don’t feel like burning my toes off, I need them for balance! Plus I just got here!” Brent holds up his hands and takes a step back.  
“Don’t worry, the coals are just warm enough to walk on. See? Plenty of others are doing it!” Kagome points toward the people removing their shoes and gently stepping onto the flimsy coals.  
“Soooo I’m supposed to jump off a bridge if they do so too?”  
“Oh come on! You need to live a little!”

The teenage schoolgirl grabbed his wrist and dragged him over the where the coals started. Already there were about ten people walking around, all of them smiling and laughing. Sota ran up, excited to see their guest try a little bit of fire-walking. 

“Kagome, I’m not so sure—“  
“Go on, take your shoes off! You are here to experience new things and this will set things off! Come on!” Kagome hurried him with a smile.

Brent may have only met Kagome today, but he could tell she was not the kind of person to back down after making up her mind. With great reluctance dropped down on one knee, and started to untie his shoes. Setting his black Nike’s and his socks off to the side, he stood back up, and took a step towards the coals. 

Before going any further, he removed the sports jacket and handed it to Sota. “Hold that for me, if I die it’s yours.”  
“Oh stop it! You’ll be fine, now go on!” Kagome patted him on the back and smiles up at him encouragingly.

Brent gave her half of an awkward smile, and then turned to face the sea of low temperature ashes and embers. With great reluctance, he lifted his right foot up, and slowly eased it towards the fragile coals. He grimaced, expecting a searing sensation on the heel of his foot, but was pleasantly surprised to find that the coals were only mildly warm. As the entirety of his weight pressed down, and created ash, he smiled slightly and laughed nervously.

“Heh heh...This isn’t too bad!”  
“Go on Brent! Walk further out!” Sota watches, thrilled to see him venture out.

Brent slowly became bolder and ventured out futher, taking his time with each deliberate step. Ashes, and still glowing embers, puffed up into the air around him with each step, and the faint glow from the orange specks allowed the Higurashi family to spot him easily, since the sun had disappeared long ago. The warm, powdery ground was actually rather soothing on the soles of his feet. He was glad Kagome had urged him to go through with being a bit adventurous and he was nearly on the other side after some careful treading. 

“Way to go Brent,” Kagome and Sota cheered, the former giving a small jump of joy, “You did it!”  
“Hey, that wasn’t so bad!” Brent yells back at them.

The cheers and smiles disappeared suddenly, as a massive burst of flames shot up from the embers right behind him. Brent disappeared from their sight and the family panicked as they ran around the bed of coals to where Brent was. Officers had run over, and urged the rest of the walkers off of the embers. As the Higurashi’s reached the other side, they spotted Brent being helped up by some of the policemen, smiling. The officers were frantically looking over him while he just shrugged everything off.

“Brent, are you ok?!” Kagome asked, reaching him first.  
He turned to her and laughed. “I’m fine! I jumped out of the way when I saw the flame come up. Could you help me with these guys? I can’t understand a word they’re saying.”  
That’s when Ms. Higurashi and grandpa rushed up and assured the officers the Brent was fine.  
“Son you gave us quite a scare there!” Grandpa said as Ms. Higurashi talked to the officials.  
“That was crazy! Can you do it again?!” Sota asked, seemingly unfazed by the event.  
“You know, I think that’s enough excitement today buddy. Wait...Do I still have my eyebrows?” Brent rubbed where his eyebrows were, and he sighed in relief, making the Higurashi siblings laugh.

With Hiwatari-sai over, and the fireball incident behind them, the Higurashis and Brent headed back to the cable car to begin the ride back home. Kagome’s mother couldn’t help but apologize for what had happened, but Brent kept reassuring her everything was fine, and wasn’t her fault. Sota couldn’t stop talking about the show, not only put on by the monks, but by Brent as well, while Kagome stared out the window, lost in her own thoughts. 

“Kagome, everything all right?” Brent asked.  
“Huh? Oh yeah, I was just thinking about tomorrow.”  
“I’m guessing you have something else planned? Hopefully something less flammable.” Brent chuckled.  
“It’s actually about some friends of mine I have to meet up with.” She smiled, albeit a bit akwardly.  
“Well, don’t stay out too long. I want to explore more of Tokyo with you!” 

Kagome smiled again as her gaze went back out the window; it had been about a week since she had traveled back into the Feudal Era to see Inuyasha and the others. On the one hand, she wanted to see them, and continue the search for the Shikon Jewel shards; a lot of progress had been made in the recent months, which meant their end goal was that much closer. But then there was Brent; she wanted to show him around, and make sure his stay in Tokyo was memorable. It wouldn’t reflect well on her for disappearing, especially with how long she stayed away sometimes. Inuyasha and the others knew what she was doing while she was gone, though Inuyasha didn’t seem too thrilled when she explained everything and told him about their guest coming to visit. They would just have to wait, she decided; she couldn’t just ditch her guest. Besides, she was enjoying his company; he knew how to make people laugh.

Once they were all home, Ms. Higurashi went to heat up the meal she had prepared earlier in the day. It was Butajiru, a Miso Soup with pork in it and the smell was incredibly intoxicating, nearly making Brent drool; once Ms. Higurashia filled all the bowls, she had a seat herself and they all began eating and talking about the night’s events. The meal was finished rather quickly, since everyone was tired from the excitement of the festival. Grandpa was the first to go to bed, he said a quick good night to everyone, and practically ran off—more than likely he didn’t want to risk the chance of losing his room. Ms. Higurashi did some quick cleaning in the kitchen with Kagome’s help, and then she was off to bed herself, and Sota ran upstairs to brush his teeth after he wished everyone a good night before going to sleep. And Brent went to the bathroom to rinse his feet off, as well as change his socks.

Just as Kagome was stepping into the bathroom to clean up, she turned to Brent as he was heading downstairs. “Aren’t you going to bed?”  
“Yeah, just need a glass of water. Good night Kagome.”  
“Good night Brent.”

The door to the bathroom shut, and Kagome’s guest made his way down to the kitchen. Brent had seen where Ms. Higurashi pulled the glasses from earlier, so he reached into the cabinet, grabbing a plastic cup. As he filled the cup from the tap, a white light gently flashed from the backyard. Brent looked up and through the window in the kitchen, and saw nothing. He shrugged it off and took a swig from the cup; right as the flash occured again. This time he saw where it had come from; the old shed in the backyard.

“What the...That is no camera flash…what is that?”

The cup of water found a new resting place on the counter as Brent grabbed his shoes and headed straight for the shed once his Nikes were secure. As another flash went off, he began to feel a little strange, almost as if something were pulling him toward the shed. With a quick shake of his head he continued forth; the moment he reached the sliding door of the shed, another flash lit up the area. This time, something within Brent surged, causing him to stumble momentarily. He shook his head for a second time while his senses returned to him, hand resting on the door as he leant into it.

“What in the hell...” His internal alarm, telling him he shouldn’t be there, was going haywire. Yet something was pulling him, almost beckoning him into enter the decrepit building. He slid the door open carefully, and entered the unused home of the dried up well.

Kagome had only just gotten out of the shower, and had changed into her pajamas in her room, when her room filled with a white light. She almost panicked, fearing someone had taken a picture, but then she saw the light disappear into the shed, and the door sliding shut.

“Huh? Inuyasha?” She waited for a moment to see if he would come bounding up to the second floor, but that moment never came.

Inside the shed, Brent was slowly descending the stairs, the moonlight casting a faint bluish-white glow through the windowed sliding doors. He could only barely see the walkway that went around the walls inside, along with the square wooden well that was only steps away from him. His heart was racing, he knew he should, but something made him stay. Putting his hands on the side of the well, he peered down into the pitch-black emptiness, wondering if the light was somehow coming from down below. Another flash bursts from the well, only Brent didn’t see it. Instead he felt a pulse permeate his body. His senses were instantly dulled and he began to feel faint. That was when his arms gave out, along with the rest of body; he passed out, and fell forward into the darkness of the well. Not a sound came from the bottom, because for him there was no bottom; Brent had passed through the very same path Kagome used to enter the Feudal Era of Japan.

The very same burst of light that had sent Brent spiraling into the well, had an effect on Kagome, and had caused a sense of urgency within her. Something wasn’t right, she knew that much, and she quickly put on her slippers, and ran downstairs.

“Brent? Brent!”

The kitchen was where she visited first. Over by the sink, she saw the cup of water he had poured, barely touched. Where was he?

“Brent are you down here?”

As she looked around, her eye caught the front door where all the shoes were, specifically, the spot where Brent’s shoe’s previously sat. They were gone.

“Oh no...” She was becoming increasingly worried with each second that passed.

Grabbing a flashlight she ran out to the shed, dirtying her slippers along the way. As she ran, she saw shoeprints leading all the way to well shed, with no second set coming from it, they had to belong to Brent, she just knew it… But why would he come out here?  
Upon entering the well shed, she shined the flashlight everywhere, until she spotted more prints directly in front of the old wooden structure. She ran down the steps, and pointed the flashlight down the well; there was absolutely nothing at the bottom. If this was the case, then why did she feel like something was off?

“He couldn’t have gone through...Only Inuyasha and I can! Ohhhhh! I can’t risk it!” Kagome took off back towards the house in a sprint. She would need to change and grab her pack, just in case.


	3. Feudal Japan 101

It was late in the evening, and Lady Kaede was just getting ready to get some sleep. Her day had been spent ridding the village of some lesser, pesky demons and creatures. Fortunately, Inuyasha, Miroku, and Sango were around to help. Demon activity had been increasing lately with no explanation as to why. Just as she was going to blow out the lanterns, one of the villagers rushed into her hut.

“Lady Kaede! Something is happening near the well!”

Kaede maintained a calm and collective behavior as she turned to address. “Is it another Demon?”  
“No my Lady! A bright light has shone several times!  
“Strange…could it be Kagome?”

She follows the villager outside, and is promptly greeted by Inuyasha, as he lands next to her after a great leap. Miroku and Sango are right behind him, running up the hill. Sango is in her full armor, with the Hiraikotsu in hand, held behind her back. Just behind them was Kirara, with Shippo riding on her back.

“What’s the trouble? Another Demon?” Inuyasha asks, looking rather irritated.

The light had been bright enough to wake him from his sleep, since he’d been sleeping up in a tree. After all the Demons they had rid the village of that day, he wanted to be able to hear anymore coming.

“I do not know Inuyasha. Ye need to go ahead. It may be Kagome returning.”  
“Mmmmm-I doubt it. She said she had that guy coming from another country.” The Half-Demon sneered a little at the thought.  
“Is everything ok Lady Kaede?” Miroku asks as they approach.  
“We shall see. The villagers are concerned about this strange light.”  
“Don’t worry, we’ll check it out.” Sango says.  
“I shall come along.” Lady Kaede says as she approaches Kirara.  
“Oh no you don’t old woman! We don’t need you slowing us down!” Inuyasha barks.  
“This is my village to protect. I will do as I please.”

Inuyasha grumbles a little to himself, knowing he isn’t going to change her mind. They all leave the villagers behind as they head up the next hill. The well wasn’t too far away, but far enough so that the villagers felt safe. Inuyasha was picking up a scent coming from the well, one he couldn’t recognize. All he wanted was to end this quickly, and shut his eyes for the night.

Kagome was frantically grabbing things for her backpack. Normally she was careful with how she packed everything, but the situation was too urgent. With all the racket she had been making, her little brother had woken up.

“Kagome? What are you doing?” He walked into her room rubbing his eyes.  
“Brent’s gone, I think he fell down into the well!”  
The news sobers Sota up very quickly. “What?! I thought—“  
Kagome interrupts him, too hurried to carry on conversation. “I know I know! I’ve got to hurry! A bright light came from the well and I guess he went to check it out! There were shoeprints leading straight to it!”  
With her school uniform on, and her backpack ready, she dashes out of her room. Her brother runs down after her, and the both of them run into their mother.  
“Kagome what are you—“  
The teenager rushes right on by and out of the back door. “Sota-will-explain-it-can’t-wait-sorry-Mom!”  
As she makes a beeline for the shed, she hears her mother call out to her, after Sota had explained the situation. “Bring him home! Please be careful!”

Both Sota and his mother watch Kagome disappear into the shed. Ms. Higurashi looks on worried, hoping no harm comes to either of them. The two head back inside, since there is nothing they can do now.

Inuyasha and the others had reached the well, and were looking around for signs of anything strange. Shippo stayed with Kirara, who was sniffing around. Miroku and Sango were cautiously looking around, expecting something to jump out at any moment.

“Where was the light coming from?” Shippo said in his squeaky little voice.  
“The villagers said it was coming from this area…” Miroku said.  
“I’m picking up a scent…Wait, it’s coming from the well…” Inuyasha says while sniffing the air.  
“Be careful, we don’t know what it is.” Sango stepped into a battle stance.

Kirara began growling, her fur standing up on her back as Shippo watched. Inuyasha stepped forward, his claws ready to kill. With his eyes having adjusted to the moonlight, he peered into the well. What he saw was not what he expected. Someone was at the bottom of the well, lying face down.

“It’s a person! Hey down there! You alive?”

The others rush over and look down into the well for themselves.

“We need to get whoever that is out of there. Inuyasha—“ Miroku get interrupted as the Half-Demon leaps down.  
“Yeah I know!”

As quickly as he jumped down into the well, he leaps back out, and sets the person down against the well. It was Brent, and he was still passed out.

“He’s human.” Inuyasha growls.  
“How did he get down there?” Sango holds her weapon behind her back.  
“Look at how he’s dressed. His clothing is different, like Kagome’s.” Shippo chirps.  
“He certainly looks like a foreigner…Could he be?...” Miroku says.  
“We should take him back to the village and wait until he awakes.” Kaede says.

Inuyasha leans down, and picks him up with ease. But before they head back down the hill, a backpack pops out of the well, followed by Kagome. Everyone turns in surprise to see her climbing out.

“Brent? Brent where-OH!” The moment she sees Inuyasha carrying him, she’s overcome with immense relief. “Oh thank goodness! You found him! Is he ok?!”  
“Kagome, you know who this is?” Sango asks.  
“Yes! This is the person who I told you was going to be visiting me!”

Everyone starts to look perplexed, their gazes all point toward Brent.

“Then do you wanna explain how he came through the well? We’re the only ones who can!” Inuyasha says, getting irritated.  
“I think for now we need to head back to the village. We’ll wait for this young man to awaken, and have him tell us what happened.” Kaede was already climbing atop Kirara.  
“I really should get him back.” Kagome protests.  
“Kagome, we need to find out what is going on. He could wake up at a moment’s notice.” Miroku insisted .

The teenager knew she was going to be able to change their minds. They all began to head out of the former Forest of Inuyasha, and Kagome followed along with her pack. She was just relieved that Brent was OK. Hopefully he could give some insight as to what happened earlier. 

“Hey Kagome, why does this guy smell like he’s been in a fire?” Inuyasha asks.  
A small nervous laugh comes from her as she scratches her head. “I’ll uh, explain that later. Let’s just head back for now.”

The following morning, Brent finally stirs inside one of the huts. His eyes slowly open, and one hand reaches up to rub the both of them. Sitting up, he groans a little, and tries to wipe the sleep away.

“Yeesh…What a dream. What in the-“

When he’s fully regained his senses, he looks around, and raises an eyebrow.

“Ooooooook. Where in the world am I? Kagome?”

Looking at the curtain covering the doorway, he can see sunlight. Walking closer the door, he can hear people outside. Right as he reaches it, Kagome pops in and surprises him.

“Brent!”  
“GAH!” Startled, he falls onto his back.  
“Oops! Sorry! Didn’t mean to frighten you.  
“Geez, next time give a little warning. I’m too young for a heart attack!” He smiles up at her.  
“How are you feeling?” She lends him a hand to help him up. “What happened last night?”  
“Last night? I swear I thought it was a dream. OK so-“, He pauses as Inuyasha and the others enter the hut. “Ummmm, we have company.”

Brent takes a good look at the people who had just entered. The one up front had extremely long silver hair, hanging nearly down to his feet. His clothes were red, like his own shirt, and rather baggy. The next looked like he was some religious figure, at least that’s what Brent was guessing. He carried a staff and one of hands was wrapped in beads. The third was a woman dressed in a kimono. She didn’t seem out of the ordinary, compared to how he saw the Higurashis dressed last night.

“Good, he’s finally awake. Can we figure out what’s going on now?” Inuyasha asks.  
“Are you all right?” The monk asks.  
“Kagome, what was his name again? Brent?” Sango says.  
Brent just stares, looking confused. “I did not catch a word of that, other than our names.”

Kagome comes to the awkward realization that Brent can’t speak Japanese, and that was the only language her friends knew. She looked back to see them with the same look as Brent.

“Oh boy not good.”  
“Kagome? What language is that? And why are you speaking it?” Sango asks.  
“Uhhh…Guys, I’m sorry but he doesn’t speak Japanese!” Kagome changes tongues.  
“Oh you gotta be kidding me!” Groans Inuyasha.  
“What’s going on Kagome? And where are we? And who are-does he have DOG ears?” Brent asks rather quickly.  
“Look, I’m not babysitting some half-wit who doesn’t know our language!” Inuyasha points at Brent.  
“Why do I feel like I was just insulted?” Brent glares a little at the Half-Demon.  
“GUYS! GUYS!” Kagome shouts in both languages. “Look, for now I can translate, let’s just figure things out. Brent, please tell us what happened.” She says in the two tongues.

With Inuyasha slightly calmed down, Brent sets to enlighten everyone on last night’s events. He tells everyone how he saw the light flash from the well. How, as he went to investigate, he felt something stir inside him with each flash. He would pause every once in a while to let Kagome translate for everyone else.

“Then once I got to the well, everything just went…black. And here we are now.” Brent says.  
As Kagome translates the last bit of information, no one in the group looked as if they knew the answer. Miroku and Sango sit there looking pensive, while Inuyasha seems more interested in getting the dirt out from under his claws.

“This is most interesting. Perhaps Lady Kaede can make sense of it?” Miroku ponders as he grips his chin.  
“I can’t say I’ve heard of such a thing happening before.” Sango mentions.  
“Whatever. Just take him back home.” Inuyasha picks at his claws.  
“There could be some sort of meaning behind this. We need to look into it more.” Sango says.  
“I ain’t worried about it. It’s got nothin’ to do with me.” The Half-Demon walks out of the hut looking entirely uninterested in the situation.  
“Where’s he going?” Brent asks.  
“Don’t worry about him. Let’s just head back home for now. I’m glad you’re all right.” Kagome smiles.  
“No damage done. You know, you still haven’t told me what’s going on here.”  
“I’ll explain on the way to the dry well.” Kagome turns to the others. “I’ll be back later, we can discuss things then.”

Miroku and Sango simply nod and head out of the hut. 

“Come on Brent. Follow me.”

Upon leaving the hut, it’s apparent that they weren’t in Tokyo any longer. Getting a good look around showed Brent that everything was rather primitive, compared to the world he was used to. No skyscrapers, no sidewalks, cars, nothing. The village they were in was comprised of small huts, with rocks holding down the roofing. As they walked through the village toward the dry well, Kagome tried to explain to him how they were in Feudal Japan, 500 years in the past. The well acted as a portal between present day and ancient times. Brent was finding it very hard to believe, at first. When he saw the well, it looked the exactly like the one at the Higurashi Shrine. He even noticed the same old tree that sat in their home. Though the circumstances seemed insane, there just was no other alternative to accept.

“This is nuts. There’s no way any of this is possible. And yet I look around, and I can picture your shrine being right here.” A light bulb springs in his head as he comes to a realization. “Wait a sec, the friends you said you were thinking of meeting, are these the ones you were talking about?”  
“Yeah, there’s a reason for it too. But I’ll explain that in greater detail. For now, just jump down the well.”  
“Excuse me? Jump?” Brent looks at her like she’s crazy.  
“Yeah! Don’t worry, when you hit the portal, it’s like going through water! Only there’s no drowning or lack of air, it just catches you gently. Next thing you know, you’re on solid ground. Go on!”  
“Alright. I trust you. Let’s go home and grab some breakfast.” He smiles and leaps over the edge of the well.

Kagome watches him fall and waits for the glow of the portal, before she jumps herself. Instead, she hears a thud, a yelp of pain, and then a groan.

“Brent?!”  
“Owwww…Kagome…I think…the portal…hates me…Ugggghhhh…”

Eventually Brent climbs out of the well, with Kagome helping to pull him up once he nears the top.

“That’s so strange…If you came thought it before, why can’t you go back?”  
“I don’t know. All I know is that is nothing but earth down there.” Brent rubs his back while Kagome wipes some dirt off of him.

Off in the distance, hidden in the woods, two strangers were watching Brent and Kagome. They had been drawing closer and closer, eyeing them closely to keep from being seen. They stopped at the tree line, hiding behind some wild shrubbery.

“All those diminutive vermin we released in that village nearby did nothing Brother. That Half-Demon slaughtered all of them. Along with that Monk and Demon-Slayer.” The female of the two hissed.  
“Patience Sister. I’m as famished as you. And fortunately, these two humans are alone. They will be easy prey. You will wait here, I shall deal with them. The girl will be mine.” The other stranger is a male, with a deep and raspy voice.  
“I wanted the male anyway.” The female says as she ducks down.

Meanwhile, Brent and Kagome were discussing what to do next. It was a short discussion, but the only thing to do was to head back to the village. Hopefully Lady Kaede would have some advice that could inspire some ideas. Just as they were leaving the well, Kagome stopped, and suddenly looked worried.

“Something is here!”  
“What are you talking about?” 

At that moment, a Demon lurched out in front of them. Kagome squeaked in surprise and bounced back next to her friend. Brent couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw what was in front of them.

“What-What the hell is that?!” 

Before them, stood a Lizard Demon. He towered over the both of them, covered in thick scales. A long tail stuck out the back of his armor, spikes lined the top of it. His mouth was lined with razor sharp teeth, and were threateningly bared. He resembled a Kuriowa Ground Gecko, and he looked hungry. Saliva dripped from his fangs as he stared them down.

“I can make your deaths quick, or agonizingly slow. One way or the other, you will be devoured.” He started to step forward while the two humans backed up.

“What did he say?”  
“He’s going to eat us!”  
“Come on! RUN!”  
Brent grabs her hand, and pulls her out of her gaze upon the massive Demon. The two begin to run in the opposite direction, yet the Lizard seemed unfazed. 

“A poor choice, Humans.”

The Demon opens his mouth, and his tongue shoots out towards them. The dripping strand of flesh was impossibly stretched, crossing further than fifteen feet, and wrapping around Kagome’s foot. A shriek echoes in the forest as Kagome falls to the ground. In turn, Brent hits the ground on his back as he had kept trying to run while holding Kagome’s hand.

“BRENT HELP! AHHHHH!”

Kagome was being dragged quickly along the ground, as the Demon retracted his tongue, pulling the poor girl closer to his gaping jaws. 

“NO YOU DON’T!”

Brent scrambled up and took a dive at Kagome; his hands met hers and gripped tight. He got to his feet quickly and pulled backward with all his might, grass and dirt kicked up from his struggle, but it was a futile effort. The sweat he put forth only slowed the Demon’s progress in dragging his prey closer.

“You both will meet your end here!”

There were only a few feet between Kagome’s ankle and the Demon’s terrifying maw. She started to scream, and Brent could only think of one thing to do. Letting go of Kagome, he sprinted forward furiously, jumped, and performed a drop kick with all his weight. Brent landed the move right into the Demon’s gut, knocking the wind out of him, and freeing Kagome. The giant Lizard forcibly exhaled sharply, and landed on his back a few feet away. As he tried to catch his breath, Brent grabbed Kagome and dashed past the beast. 

“RUN FOR IT! GO!!!” He yells.  
“You…little…CRETIN!!!” The Demon gets back to his feet, clutching his gut. “YOU ARE MINE!!!” 

His tongue fires out again, but with a taste for revenge as it hooks around Brent’s ankle this time. Falling face first, he grunts and tries to clasp onto anything he can.

“BRENT NO!”  
“GET OUT OF HERE! RUN DAMN IT! AGH!”

The beast behind them pulls his prey along at the same pace as before. Kagome tries to grab Brent’s hand, but she misses. She can see the panicked look on his face as he’s dragged toward certain death, and does the only thing she can think of.

“INUYASHAAAAAAAA!!!”  
Off in the distance, back in the village, a set of dog ears flicks on the head of a half-demon. Inuyasha jumps down from his perch on a tree, he immediately becomes alert, certain he’d heard Kagome scream.

“Sango! Miroku! Something’s wrong! I just heard Kagome shout!”  
“What?!”Miroku grabs his staff.  
“Kirara! Come!” Sango throws off her kimono, revealing her armor.  
“Shippo you stay here!” Inuyasha barks as he sprints toward the well.  
“Hey, why do I always gotta stay behind! I wanna go! You might need my help!”

Shippo runs off after them, hopping as fast as he can. Kirara transforms into her full size in mid-air, roaring as Sango leaps onto her back. Inuyasha lead the charge as they all quickened their pace.

“You are not the one I wanted, but you will do boy!”  
“NO! STOP! SOMEBODY HELP!” The teenage girl screams.

Kagome tried her best to grab onto Brent, but the Demon would just back up toward the well. As he was dragged, Brent turned onto his back, and at the worst possible moment. His leg was lifted off of the ground, and his ankle grabbed by the Demon. As he was hoisted into the air upside down, Brent spotted a small blade hanging from the Lizard Demon’s waist. He wasn’t sure what it was for, and was certain he didn’t want to know, but he reached for it and seized the grip. The Demon was too hungry to notice, and right as Brent had withdrawn the blade, the Demon turned his head, and bit into Brent’s chest. An agonizing scream fills the forest as the entirety of the Lizard’s jaws clasp over his prey’s upper body. Blood fills the mouth of the large predator and he hums happily, much to Kagome’s terror. 

Never before had Brent experienced such pain. The teeth punctured his body as if it were made of paper. The pressure from the bite squeezed hard enough to the point that he believed his ribs were going to break. Trying to fight through the immense pain, Brent lifts the blade in his hand. With all the strength he can muster, he brings the blade down, and makes his mark. The blade pierces the Lizard Demon’s skull and buries itself to the hilt. Immediately, Brent is dropped, and the blood that had filled the Demon’s mouth pours out as he stands there dumbfounded. His body quivers as he falls to his knees, staring into the sky with a pained expression.

“You…human…scum…how…” The scaly predator collapses, and stops moving.

It was that moment when Inuyasha and the others arrived.

“What happened?!” Inuyasha barks.  
“We were attacked by that Demon! It bit Brent!”

In the woods nearby, Inuyasha heard some rustling, and what sounded like a sob.

“WHO ELSE IS THERE?!” The half-demon snarls.  
“We’ll take care of it! Get them to safety!” Sango shouts as she and Miroku run into the woods.

Brent laid there on the ground unconscious. His shirt was drenched in his blood, slits cut perfectly in the form of the Demon’s teeth. The wounds were bleeding profusely and slowly pooling around him.

“Inuyasha we have to get him out of here!”  
“Right…AGH!”

It was when Inuyasha went to pick up Brent, the Lizard Demon sprung up after faking what should have been a deadly blow. He snarled in an enraged bloodlust, as his eyes took on the color of life itself.

“I don’t think so! RRRRAAAAAAGH!”

With a single swipe, the half-demon’s claws cut clean through the Lizard’s head, sending a spray of blood and flesh the opposite direction. The headless corpse collapsed, and the blade that had been embedded was sent into a nearby tree, digging deep into the bark. With the threat finally taken care of, Inuyasha picks up Kagome’s savior. She hops onto his back and they hurry as fast as they can to the village. Brent’s precious blood soaked Inuyasha’s hands, and created a trail of death behind them.


	4. No Way Home

Inuyasha ran as fast as he could, the human in his arms raced closer toward death with every second that passed. The very essence of life streaked down Inuyasha’s arms, and slathered his hands. Upon reaching the village he had to scream and shout for everyone to get out of the way, as they ran toward Kaede’s hut.

“KAEDE!” He yells.

The elder woman appeared from her hut and looked on in shock, as she saw the half-demon with Kagome on her back, and him carrying Brent.

“Inside quickly!”

Stepping out of the way, Inuyasha ducked inside, and Kagome jumped off his back. Kaede is already grabbing medicines and bandages from a chest over to the side of the room. Once Brent is set down, Kagome instantly started unbuttoning his shirt. When she opened it she gasped in shock. Perfect little slits, all the exact same size, make a large oblong pattern across his chest. Blood oozed out of them relentlessly, as well as from the ones on his back, causing it to slowly pool beneath him. His skin had already started to grow pale.

“Hurry child! Help me bandage him! The bleeding must be stopped!” Kaede urged.

Inuyasha stepped back and let them worry about trying to save Brent. It wasn’t until then that something struck him as unusual. Looking down at his own hand, he stared at the blood that marked all over. Lost in his thoughts for a moment, Sango and Miroku appeared behind him. When they saw the blood, and Brent lying on the floor, they immediately started asking questions.

“Inuyasha what happened?” Miroku asked.  
“Are the injuries fatal?” Sango asked worriedly.

There’s a brief pause before the half-demon can answer. “I can’t smell his blood.”

Both the monk and demon-slayer look at him with bewildered gazes.

“What?”  
“How is that possible?”

Inuyasha’s perplexed stare moved from his hand, down to the human on the floor. “I don’t know.” 

Kagome and Kaede were working together with all the haste they could muster. The moment the strips of bandage were held taught to the wounds, they were stained a deadly red.

“The wounds are too deep! We may not be able to stop the bleeding!” Kaede said, sounding panicked.  
“No! We have to! I may have something, hold on!” Kagome grabbed her pack and pulled it over. 

Frantically, she reached in and started pulling things out, rooting around for any medical supplies. As she grasped onto a change of her clothes to pull them out, she yelped in pain, and quickly pulled her hand out along with the clothes. Before she can see what caused the pain, she noticed Shikon Jewel shards tumbling through the air. The bottle that had been holding them had broken in her bag, and she had cut her finger on the bottle.

“The shards!”

She quickly tried to pick them up off the floor, and sensed another to her right. Inuyasha saw what was happening and quickly lost his temper.

“Idiot! What are you throwing shards for?! Grab em’!”  
“I’m not throwing them!”

Turning to her right she saw the last shard on Brent’s chest, just above the bandages. Just before her fingers could clasp around it, the shard sunk into Brent’s body with a white glow. There was a collective gasp from what everyone had just witnessed. 

“The shard! It…”Sango stares bewildered.  
“Look! His wounds have stopped bleeding!” Miroku exclaimed.

Everyone gathered around him as Kaede stopped applying bandages. Brent’s chest slowly rose and fell as he breathed normally, still unconscious. Inuyasha proceeded to clean his hands with the remaining bandages.

“There is more to him than meets the eye. The Shikon Jewel doesn’t react with humans normally. And yet, it is helping with his wounds.” Miroku says.  
“He isn’t giving off a demonic aura…” Sango stares at Brent.  
“Of course he isn’t! He’s from my time! He’s a human just like me!” Kagome said defensively.  
“Oh yeah? Then explain why I can’t smell his blood! Something is up with this guy and I don’t like it!” Inuyasha barks.  
“Calm yourself Inuyasha! The poor boy needs—“

Lady Kaede is interrupted as Brent’s eyes popped open. A scream filled the hut as he jumped to his feet and began throwing punches wildly at no one in particular.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!”

Kagome has to pull Kaede out of the way, while Inuyasha jumped up and grabbed a hold of the frightened young man. Holding his arms to the side, he shoved Brent to the wall and holds him there.

“CALM DOWN! You’re not in any danger!” The half-demon snarls and sneers as Brent’s erratic breathing begins to slow and calm.  
“Inuyasha he can’t understand you! Remember?” Miroku says walking up to them.  
“Oh…right…” Inuysasha said, feeling a bit like an idiot.

There’s a brief moment of silence before Brent said something, looking at Inuyasha in total shock.

“How are you speaking English?” There’s still a small amount of panic in Brent’s voice as he stares at in Inuyasha.

Kagome’s friend receives another stare from everyone in the room. They had just heard him speak perfect Japanese.

“English? You just spoke our tongue!” Inuyasha says.  
“No. You are speaking English right now. And this is really freaking me out. Let go of me!” Brent’s arms are freed, as he slid down the wall to sit down.  
“Brent…You can understand Japanese?” Kagome spoke in her native tongue to check.  
“All I hear is English…What in THE HELL is going on?!” He asked looking around, hoping someone could answer him.  
“Hmmmm…It would seem that the Jewel shard has made it possible for us to understand one another.” Miroku pondered.  
“Jewel shard? What Jewel Shard are—OK wait wait. Kagome. Where did that…beast thing go, how am I alive, and for the love of GOD, WHY DOES HE HAVE DOG EARS?!” Brent’s finger points right up to Inuyasha’s face.  
“If you don’t get your hand out of my face I’ll break it.” Growls the half-demon.  
“Guys! Calm down! Brent, I’ll explain. It was a Demon that attacked us at the well.” Kagome said.  
“A WHAT?!”  
“Yes, in this time, there are all sorts of Demons. Some are nice, and others are rather cruel.”  
“Kagome that thing looked like a lizard!”  
“As I said, there are many different kinds of Demons. Some look like humans, like Inuyasha. But that’s also because he’s half-human.”  
“Who is Inuyasha?”  
“Me, you moron.” Inuyasha growls.  
“You? You’re half-demon?” Brent looks at him in disbelief.  
“Yeah, I am. You got a problem with that?”  
“I do actually. After what just happened to me, I’d appreciate it if you backed off.”  
“What’s the matter? Do I scare you?” The half-demon grinned.  
“I’m not telling you again. Back. Off.” Brent started to scoot back, looking angry.  
“Aww, is the poor little human-UNG!”

As Inuyasha crept closer to toy with Brent, that’s when the human decided to sock him across the jaw. It didn’t seem like a big affair to Brent, but everyone else gasped. Normally, a human wouldn’t be able to make a Demon, let alone half of one, budge with a punch. Even Inuyasha was shocked.

“You little…how’d you do that?!”  
“Easy. Like THIS!” 

Brent went to throw another punch, but Inuyasha caught his arm.

“Somehow that shard in your body is giving you some strength. But now I know better. Next time you try that I’ll--”  
“BOYS!”

The shout from Kagome made both their heads turn, only to see her very angry.

“That is ENOUGH! We have a huge problem on our hands and you two are acting like children!”

Both Inuyasha and Brent look at her, semi-annoyed with each other still, and speak at the same time. “Sorry.” This made them glare right back at each other with conviction.

“Don’t copy me.”  
“No, you were the one—“

The two stop again as Kagome groaned furiously, and stormed out of the hut. 

“Now you’ve both done it.” Sango said.  
“I’ll go talk to her—“ Brent and Inuyasha said together, then glare again.  
“I don’t think so dog-boy! You’re completely tactless!”  
Inuyasha shoved Brent back against the wall and sneered angrily. “You listen to me. I’ve known Kagome far longer than you have. If anyone will calm her down, it’s me. Got it?!”  
“And how has that fared for you in the past Inuyasha?” Miroku asks.  
“YOU STAY OUTTA THIS!” The Half-Demon pushed Brent away as he stormed out of the hut after Kagome.  
Brent gets to his feet slowly as Miroku helped him up. “Pay him no mind.”  
“Please, explain to us what happened at the well. Weren’t you two going back your time?” Sango said approaching them.  
“Yes, we were. The problem is, I jumped into the well and…hit solid ground.” Brent said.  
“The portal has closed? Hmmm…I feel there is something at work here, greater than we know.” Kaede said. “I know not what it may be, but there may be someone ye can seek who can help. I’ve heard of a Demon who can see the truth to life itself. His name is Hisao.”  
“Does he have to be a Demon?” Brent asked.  
“Don’t worry. Like Kagome said, not all Demons are bad, though most are.” Sango said.  
“That was not comforting in any way.” Brent said looking worried.  
“Sorry.” Sango apologized embarrassed.

Meanwhile, Inuyasha caught up to Kagome outside, and jumped in her way.

“Hey! Where are you going off to? You sure seem worried about that friend of yours!”  
“His name is Brent, and he certainly seems fine now! He’s already up and arguing with you!” Kagome glared angrily at him.  
“It wasn’t my fault! He’s the one scared of Demons!”  
“Can you blame him?! He’s never been around anything like this, and yet he risked his life for me! That Lizard Demon went for me first!”

Upon hearing this, Inuyasha’s tune changed. 

“The Demon tried to get you first?”  
“Yes! And Brent drove him off long enough for me to run past! He saved my life and you’re in there messing with him!”

Kagome then took off past him again, still fuming.

“Kagome wait!”  
“SIT BOY!”

The beads around Inuyasha’s neck glow white, and his face became panicked. In just half a second, he slammed down into the ground face first. Shouting in pain, he groaned with a mouthful of dirt.

“I can’t wait until these stupid beads are gone.”


	5. The Lizard Demon, Setsuko

The sounds of rustling and panting filled the forest as the Demon ran away from the well. She was overcome with shock and grief upon seeing her brother’s death. 

“WHO ELSE IS THERE?!”   
“We’ll take care of it! Get them to safety!”

The voices of the half-demon and two of the humans echoed her way. Unlike her brother, she actually made more use of her brain. There was no way she could stand her ground against them all; not with her current emotional state. Tears streaked down her cheeks as she ran. Behind her, she could the frantic footsteps of two pursuers. Luckily, she had a few tricks up her sleeve to help her escape. Abilities that her brother had taught her, and made her practice to help ensure her survival. She had to sprint longer than she cared for in order to prepare herself, and to calm down. With a great leap, she thrust herself up into the trees, and hid among the branches. Next, she closed her eyes, put her hands together, and exhaled slowly. Calming her mind, and her heart, she found her center. This was what was necessary to suppress her Demonic Aura; a trick she learned from a Monk who had begged for his life, only to end up in her and her brother’s bellies. 

There was no doubt in her mind that she would be safe from whoever was tracking her. With all the practice she put in to Aura Suppression, it would seem like she had run far away. Calmly, she waited, the sounds of hurried footsteps growing closer. Whoever was after her, had now stopped, and were directly beneath her. Not one sound came from her. Not one inch of her budged. She remained totally calm, and waited.

“Did you get a glimpse of anything?” A male said.  
“No. Whoever was running away is long gone now.” Spoke a female.  
“You’re right. I can sense something, but it’s too far away now. We need to head back.”  
“I hope that young man, Brent, is ok.” With that, the two humans take off back the way they came.

When the Demon was sure her shadows were gone, she reopened her eyes. Brent. That was the name of her brother’s killer. Every moment of the attack, from start to finish, was chiseled into her mind. Her brother was a brute, and should never have been bested by a lowly human. Rage began to well up inside her as tears began to flow once more. It was a sight she would never forget. That pathetic human was in her brother’s jaws, as good as dead, and then he lifted up the Tanto sword. By the time she saw it, she knew it was too late for her to help. She watched in horror as the sword plunged, and her brother fell.

“That…repulsive…bastard…MURDERER!”

Chest heaving, and fists clenched, her anger was hitting the boiling point. A fist raised up and slammed into the tree, sending splinter and bark everywhere, as she caused a deep depression in the tree.

“I need to know…No HUMAN could live through a bite like my brother’s. He would bleed to death! I NEED TO KNOW!”

Jumping down from her perch, she took off in the direction of the well. The scent of her brother’s blood caused her to divert away from his body; she had no desire to look upon her dead brother. The Demon stayed within the refuge of the trees, and spied on the village. The revolting stink of that human’s blood reached her nose, and she scoffed. As she moved through the tree line, she made sure to hide her aura. It was risky enough being so close to dwelling place, she had to do what she could. In the distance, she saw a trail of blood leading to one of the huts. Her eyes stuck to that hut as if they were glue.

“AAAAAAAAAGH!” A scream came from inside, and she recognized it too. It was that damnable human! How was he alive? 

There were too many people nearby, and he was surrounded by his friends. Today would not be her day for revenge. She turned her back to the village, and began to walk away. This would take some brainwork for her to get anywhere near him. Nothing in the world mattered to her now. The only thing she wanted now was to taste his blood and flesh, while she watched his life drain from his eyes.

“I will not let you get away Brent...enjoy your remaining time on this earth…”

As she disappeared into the woods, she was already concocting a plan to redeem her brother. For once, she found her appearance to useful. While being a Lizard Demon, she resembled a human, a gorgeous human woman. Though it would seem odd to others that she had dark green hair, and a matching set of eyes. Perhaps, she thought, she could use her looks to her advantage? A smirk appeared on lips, which then turned to a malicious grin, exposing her four intensely sharp fangs.


	6. The Road to Answers

Several hours had passed since the attack on Brent and Kagome, and during that time she had the chance to cool down. For the whole duration, Brent hadn’t seen her. He had been too busy trying to clean up his shirt, with Kaede mending it when he finished. Fortunately, the shirt he’d worn was red, so his blood had a difficult time showing. Kaede had stitched up all the slits caused by the Lizard Demon’s bite. The shirt didn’t look quite the same, but it was close enough. Brent was just happy to have a shirt to wear. The bandages on his body had been changed to clean ones at his request, just in case. It was when he had put his shirt back on, and was rolling up his sleeves, that Kagome walked into the hut as Kaede was leaving.

“Brent? How are you doing?” A pinch of anxiousness hid in her voice.  
“I’m all right. And before you say anything else, I just want to say sorry for fighting with Inuyasha.”  
Kagome walked over and smiled softly. “It’s OK. He puts on a tough guy act, but he really is a big softie.”  
“I find that hard to believe…I mean, do you really trust him?” Brent said looking concerned. “He’s a Demon.”  
“He’s actually a Half-Demon and-“  
Brent interrupted her. “I’m sorry, Half-Demon or not, that worries me. Only a few hours ago, a full Demon, I assume, tried to bite me in half. Forgive me if I seem skeptical.”  
Kagome watched him as he spoke, and she could see the fear return in his eyes, and even hear it in his voice. “Brent, it’s ok. But I promise, Inuyasha will never hurt you. He’s protected me, Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kirara countless times.”  
“Shippo and Kirara?” One brow cocked up as he repeated the names.  
“Oh that’s right! You haven’t met them yet! Come with me!”

Brent followed the teenager outside, as she started calling for them. While he followed Kagome, he finished getting his sleeves fixed up just right, and felt a tug on his jeans. He looked down to see a kid with weird looking feet.

“Are you the one who got bit by that Demon?” Shippo asked directly.  
Brent gives him a strange look and responds awkwardly. “Uhhh…yes? Shouldn’t you be with your parents little guy?”  
“My parents are dead.” Shippo said matter-of-factly.

Overwhelming awkwardness crept over Brent upon hearing this, causing him to stare with a shocked look. Fortunately, this was when Kagome turned around and saw the fox child.

“Oh there you are Shippo!”  
Brent snaps out of his trance and looks freaked out. “Wait, you travel with a KID?!”  
“Hey! I may be small, but I still can get things done!” Shippo said proudly.  
“Brent, this is Shippo, and Shippo, this is Brent! He’s a Fox Kitsune Demon!” Kagome smiled.  
Brent just looked at him incredulously as he kneeled down to shake his hand.  
“Pleased to meet ya!” The fox child smiled.

Before Brent could respond, he heard a cute little mewl. Looking to his right, he saw what looked like a kitten, but is had great big red eyes, and two tails. And yet it still looked adorable.

“And that’s Kirara!” Kagome said.

The little kitten mewled again as she jumped up on Brent’s knee and sniffed at him.

“Ok, despite the eyes, he’s insanely cute.” Brent said with half an awkward smile.  
“Actually, Kirara is a girl!” Shippo pointed out.

Kirara jumped up to Brent’s shoulder and climbed up to the top of his head, mewling here and there as she rubbed against him. Kagome and Shippo both giggled when they saw Brent’s face of uncertainty.

“It seems Kirara has taken a liking to you!” Sango said as she walked up.  
“She IS a good judge of character!” Kagome said.  
“Well, that’s good to know…” Brent said.

Brent reaches up to scratch the little kitten’s head, and smiles when she purrs and rubs back into his hand.

“How are you feeling? I hate how you were here for such a short time and are already injured. This is normally such a peaceful village.” Sango said.  
“I’m feeling fine now. Except…”  
“What is it?” Kagome asked.  
“Well, I still need some questions answered.” Brent said as Kirara jumped over to Sango’s shoulder.  
“Oh, right. There’s been so much going on, I haven’t been able to fill you in.” Kagome said looking embarrassed.

Following the two women, they all head into a field for some privacy. Shippo walked alongside Brent trying to leisurely chat with him, but Brent would respond with few words. He was still unsure about his stance with Demon’s; large or small. Once they were all within safe view of everyone, Kagome and Sango set to explaining things. They told him of how Kagome was brought here by Miss Centipede, and had the Shikon Jewel taken from her body. Kagome told him how the Jewel shattered because of her, and how it was her duty retrieve all the shards. She told him how she was the reincarnation of Kikyo, a priestess from fifty years further back in time. Brent just sits there trying to absorb the incredible amount of information, listening intently. When Kagome gets to how Inuyasha was sealed to the tree, and how he was framed, he could sense some sadness in her, and a bit of jealousy. 

“It all wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for Naraku…”

The moment Kagome says that name, Sango looks away highly upset.  
“Naraku? Who is he?” Brent asked.  
“He’s a Demon who wants to claim the Shikon Jewel, and he will do whatever it takes to achieve that goal.” Sango said, her gaze now toward the ground.  
“That name…Just hearing it makes me upset. I feel like you all are working together because somehow, this Naraku guy has had some sort of influence on you all. Am I right?” Brent asked.  
Sango doesn’t utter a word. She gets to her feet and walks off with Kirara at her heels.  
“Please tell me I didn’t upset her.” Brent said as watched her walk away, concerned.  
“No, you didn’t. Naraku just brings up painful memories. For Sango-“  
“KAGOME! NEW GUY! GET UP HERE!”

Brent and Kagome both look back to the village to see Inuyasha on the hill.

“Did he really just refer to me as ‘New Guy’?” Brent looked at him annoyed.  
“I’m sure he didn’t mean it!” Kagome smiled with embarrassment.

The moment that the two of them reached the top of the hill, Inuyasha set off to scolding them. “WHAT WERE YOU TWO DOING?! HE NEARLY GETS KILLED AND YOU SEPARATE FROM US AGAIN?!”  
“Hey, take it easy would ya? We were within sight of everyone, and Sango was just with us-“ Brent tried to reason.  
“YEAH WELL SHE WASN’T DOWN THERE WHEN I SAW YA!”  
“INUYASHA!” Brent barked at him. “I’m not going to argue with you again, so I’m going to set things straight. First, my name is BRENT, NOT ‘New Guy’. I’m sure you don’t give a damn, but oh well. At least I’ve made it known. Second, we were just fine over there. Kagome was informing me on everything she could. So please, for Kagome’s sake at the very least. CHILL. OUT. Now if you’ll excuse me, I want to see what I can get done about getting home. I’m sure you want me out of here anyway!” 

Brent takes off past the half-demon, and into the village. Inuyasha stands there looking as bewildered as Kagome.

“Seems like he can handle things pretty well…” Kagome said.  
“I…uh…” Inuyasha was at a loss for words. “Wait a minute! GET BACK HERE!”

As Inuyasha jumped off after him, Kagome sighed with defeat. “I guess both of them are hard-headed.” 

When Inuyasha catches up with Brent, he’s talking with Sango and Miroku. “Hey! I’m not done with you!”  
“Oh great…” Brent rolled his eyes.  
“I don’t think these two are ever going to get along.” Sango said.  
“Certainly seems that way.” Miroku agreed.  
“Listen BRENT. You’re not going anywhere without us! You’ll die the second you leave! So don’t do anything stupid like going off on your own! You need their help and mine if you wanna find out how to get home! And one more thing, I still owe you for that punch earlier, so watch yourself!” Inuyasha said.  
Brent took a moment to take in what he said. He wasn’t quite sure what to think. “Why do you care so suddenly about me?”  
“Kagome told me how you saved her. If anything it’s our way of paying you back. So like I said, don’t do anything stupid. Got it?! I’m not having your death on my conscience!” With that, Inuyasha walks off.  
“You guys don’t owe me anything, I was doing what I had to!” Brent yells after Inuyasha.  
“Wait, you saved Kagome?” Miroku asked.  
“Yeah. I did. His tongue was wrapped around her ankle, so I dropkicked him. When we tried to get away, that’s when he got me.”  
“I have to say, I’m impressed!” Miroku patted him on the back.  
“You have some fighting spirit in you it seems!” Sango said.  
“I couldn’t let that thing get her. It made my blood boil at the thought of her getting hurt.” Brent confessed.  
“Well, you don’t have to worry about him anymore. Come on, let’s get ready. Are you sure you’re OK to start traveling?” Sango asked as they walked toward Kaede’s hut.  
“Yes, I’m sure. We can’t waste any time anyway. Kagome will need to get back to school once I leave, and I’d rather not spend my month 500 years in the past. No offense to you guys.”  
“None taken. Come, we’ll need to get the proper supplies. Oh, and I’m sure you’ll need this as well to protect yourself.” Miroku said as he handed Brent the very blade he had stabbed the Lizard Demon with. He had grabbed it from the tree on the way back from their short-lived search.  
“It’s a Tanto Sword. Hopefully, you don’t have to use it much.” Miroku said.  
“Thanks…” Brent takes the sword as his eyes scan it. He had no idea how to use it, and he hoped he wouldn’t have to.

“I can teach you about that sword if you would like. It can’t hurt.” Sango proposed.  
“Actually…it could…” Brent half-smiled with concern.  
“Don’t worry, Sango is a Demon Hunter. If anyone should teach you, it’s her.”  
“Thanks Miroku!” Sango smiled.  
“Perhaps I could teach you a few things sometime?” Miroku said with a strange smile toward her.  
Sango looked unamused. “Not on your life.” Brent looked back and forth between the two of them, utterly confused. 

After everyone gathered together and acquired some supplies, they were ready to embark on their journey. Lady Kaede and the rest of the village saw them off, waving good-bye and wishing them luck. Inuyasha lead the group as the mid-day sun beat down upon them. 

“So we’re looking for a Demon named Hisao?” The leader asked.  
“Yeah. Anyone got an idea on how we find him?” Brent questioned.  
“I can’t say I’ve heard of this All-Seeing Demon. It seems highly irregular.” Sango said.  
“And just like life, this won’t be easy…” Brent sighed.  
“We’re bound to find something! We always do!” Shippo said as he sat on Kagome’s backpack.  
“I’m sure we can find someone who knows something that can point us in the right direction. Just keep a positive mind.” Miroku said  
“Don’t worry Brent. We’ll find a way for us to get back home.” Kagome smiled.  
“For both our sakes, I hope you’re right. I don’t think I’d look too great 500 years from now.” Brent responded.  
“You won’t even live 100 years. You’re a human.” Inuyasha mentioned matter-of-factly.  
“That was supposed to be a joke, but thanks for the eye opener Inuyasha.” Brent rolled his eyes.  
“You know what-“  
“Don’t even start boys! It’s a beautiful day and we’ve only just hit the road. If you can’t say something nice, then don’t say anything!” Kagome interrupted.

Brent and Inuyasha both shut their mouths, as the half-demon scoffed; keeping his eyes on the worn road ahead. The journey had begun, and with several goals in tow. Kagome and Brent couldn’t live in the Feudal Era forever; it wasn’t where they belonged. Only the Demon, Hisao, was their lead on pointing them toward the answer. Along the way, there was also the hope of finding more shards of the Shikon Jewel. Kagome had many of the shards with her, and the sooner they could complete the jewel, the better. 

Even with Brent having been seriously injured only hours ago, he already was looking healthy and eager to move on. But in truth, he could still feel a bit of pain from the bite that marked his body. A hand rose to his chest to where the jewel shard rested within him. He could feel it resting there, and fortunately it was a pleasant feeling. A soothing wave of warmth seemed to radiate from it, and all throughout his body. It seemed the shard was helping him cope with any pain, as well as helping him heal.

“Hey Brent, are you ok?” Shippo asked.  
Brent quickly looked up, and his hand fell back to his side. “Yeah, I’m fine.” He smiled at the little fox.

While he was telling the truth, he did feel relatively fine, he wasn’t about to let anything hinder their progress. Even if it meant he had to keep things to himself; for he felt it was his fault that he and Kagome were stuck hundreds of years in the past.


	7. Threat and A Promise

The group had traveled for most of the day; chit-chat took up most of their time down the roads. Inuyasha and Brent barely spoke to each other, though for different reasons. Brent didn’t wish to speak to him since he wasn’t fond of the thought of being near a Demon constantly. Inuyasha didn’t want to talk to Brent because he knew it would just end up angering Kagome if they got into another argument. With nightfall drawing near, they happened upon a village, with all the inhabitants finishing their work for the day and readying themselves for the night in. The moment they approach the dwellings, Miroku takes charge.

“If you’ll excuse me, I believe there is something I can do for us here.” The Monk said as he walked deeper into the village.  
“Here we go again…” Sango says unamused.  
“Am I missing something?” Brent asked.  
“He does this anytime we enter a village. Either he’s going to do a fake exorcism, or womanize.” Inuyahsa scoffed.  
“Wait…oh you’ve got to-NOW what he said back at the village to you makes sense!” Brent looked over at Sango.  
“I’m sorry you had to witness that.” Sango blushed.  
“I’m sorry you had to experience it!” Brent tried to console her. “So he does this all the time?”  
“Yeah. You get used to it.” Kagome sighed.  
“Except for the butt rubbing.” Sango said with irritation.

Brent was hardly able to believe what he was hearing. “So you travel with a pervert Monk? Don’t Monks take some sort of vow?”  
“Miroku just doesn’t know how to handle ladies properly.” Shippo chimed in.  
“Sounds more like he’s just a poonhound.” Brent said.  
“What the heck is a poonhound?” Inuyasha asked raising a brow.  
“Nevermind…I forget, you guys aren’t from my time. You don’t know modern terms.” Brent waved it off.

After the brief discussion, they all went off in search of the Monk. Hopefully, he wouldn’t be scamming somebody, or trying to flirt with the women. When they had no luck spotting him anywhere, there was only one place else that everyone but Brent knew where to look. They set off toward the largest home in the area, which turned out to be a small mansion of sorts. Approaching the home of the Lord of the village, they could see the Monk speaking with an older man.

“Please you must help me! I have seen a shadow roaming the halls as of late! I fear it may be a Demon!”  
“Worry not my Lord, I will see to it personally your home is cleansed of any Demons.” Miroku said humbly.  
“Oh thank you Monk! Please come this way! I will show you where I saw it last.”  
“Hey Miroku!” 

Turning around, Miroku can see his companions advancing on the Lord’s manor. 

“Performing another fake exorcism?” Inuyasha said sarcastically.  
“If you must know, the Lord was the one who approached me.” Miroku looked serious. “And he isn’t wrong either. I sense a demonic presence inside. It’s a lesser one, that’s certain.”  
“I’ll believe it when I see it.” Inuyasha grumbled.  
“Hey! I don’t always scam people!” Miroku said defensively.  
“That’s still pretty messed up. Not a very Monk-like thing to do.” Brent said accusingly.  
“That and the lechery.” Sango said while she and Brent gave him the same stare.  
“Wha-?! Sango!” Miroku turned red from embarrassment and tried to avoid the gazes.  
“Come on, let’s get this over with.” Inuyasha turns him around and urges the Monk inside.

After the small confrontation outside, the entire group heads inside and finds the Lord in a hallway on the opposite side of the mansion. Candles hanging on the walls gave off a soft warm glow through the hall as the Lord pointed down at the other end.

“I first saw it at the end of this corridor. And it was only earlier today too!”   
“Let me take care of it.” 

Miroku steps forward, holding his staff out and pointing the ornate decoration on the top down the corridor. The rings that hang from it jingle together in an almost peaceful manner, as if to soothe those that are frightened by Demons. Slowly he travels down the hall, as if the staff were a divining rod.

“So, he can sense Demons?” Brent asked Kagome looking confused.  
“Mhm. So can everyone else, except me. All Demons give off a Demonic Aura, some stronger than others. So other Demons, as well as those who trained themselves, can sense it. I can sense the jewel shards, provided they’re within my range.” Kagome responded with a smile.  
“I’ve got one more question. How in THE WORLD do you throw that thing?” Brent pointed to Sango’s massive weapon.  
Sango giggles and smiles at him. “I’m a Demon Hunter. Many years of training and practice have given the strength and ability to use weapons like this.”  
Brent pulls up his shirt to look at the Tanto they helped attach to his belt. “I hope the saying ‘size doesn’t matter’ applies here.”  
“SHOW YOURSELF!”

When they all hear Miroku shout, the sound of wood creaking and plunking beneath hurried footsteps, echoes throughout the mansion. The group discovers Miroku in one of the bedrooms with several Sutras in his hand. He throws them across the room with gusto, and they hit what looked like a shadow with no source as it tried to run. The Sutras cling to the wall as a small screechy voice screams in pain. Miroku runs forward, and bangs the bottom end of his staff on the shadow. The end result is a puff of black mist as the shadow bursts from the wall, and dissipates. 

“A lesser Shadow Demon. Nothing too troublesome.” Miroku turned back to everyone.  
“Well, whaddya know?” Inuyasha looked unimpressed.  
“Wow…Guess I should give you a little more credit.” Brent said looking somewhat amused.  
“Oh thank you Monk! Please! Stay here for the night! All of you! I will have my servants tend to all your needs!” The Lord hurried away to find said servants.  
“Well I was going to say that wouldn’t be necessary, but since he seems so eager…” Miroku said as he joined the group again.  
“But…the rest of us didn’t do anything. I don’t feel right about this.” Brent said looking uneasy.  
“Don’t fret over it. All Lords show appreciation to Monks and their friends when a service is performed.” Sango said.  
“Pardon me.”

A small voice echoes behind them. When they turn around, they are greeted by a young woman. No doubt she was one of the servants who had been tasked to take care of them.

“My Lords and Ladies, if you will follow me, we shall have dinner ready soon. Oh my!” The young looked on Brent and the state of his shirt.  
“My Lord! Please let us mend and clean your shirt properly!” She walked up to him.  
“I’m not a Lord, ma’am. And really, my shirt is fine! I thought I did alright anyway…” The young man smiled down at her.  
“Nonsense! I can see the blood on it! Please come with me!” She takes a hold of his hand and pulls him away from the group.  
“Just let them help you Brent! There’s nothing wrong with it!” Shippo called out.

Inuyasha and the others all watch him disappear around the corner with the servant, and are greeted by another. The servant brings Brent into a room which looks to be the bath. She quickly pulls a robe out of a small chest by the wall, and hands it to him. 

“Please remove your shirt and I will have it returned to you after dinner.”

Knowing he wasn’t going to change her mind, he lifted the shirt over his head and handed it to her. His Tanto sword was revealed, sitting in a makeshift sheath attached to his belt. When the servant girl saw his bandages around his body, she gasped.

“Oh my! Are you well?”  
“Yes I’m fine. These are just here for safety measures. A Demon attacked me earlier today, but I’m fine now.” Brent said feeling a bit awkward.  
“Then you should remove them! They can’t possibly be comfortable.”  
“No, they’re not actually.”

Reaching toward his back, he starts unwinding the white strips that surrounded his lower chest and midsection. When the bite marks on his body are revealed, the servant girl gasps again.

“You poor thing!”  
“I’m fine now, it’s ok.” After being handed the robe, he slips into it and ties the band at the waist. “Thanks again for cleaning my shirt.” He smiled.  
“You are most welcome my Lord! And please leave your weapon as well! I’ll have someone clean and sharpen it for you.” She smiled.

Brent reached down to the Tanto, and fiddled with it for a moment before he removed it from his side. Placing it on his shirt, the young girl smiles.

“Suki!” She calls out. Another servant walks in, holding her hands in front of herself. “Please take our guest to his friends.”

Wordlessly, she bows and opens the sliding door for Brent.

“Enjoy your meal my Lord!” The first servant called out.  
“Really! You don’t need to call me that!” Brent tried to reason.

When they leave the bath, Brent looks down the hall to see another servant simply staring at him. He smiled at her and nodded his head. Being led the other direction, he didn’t see the sneer that crossed her face. Once he was gone, she walked around the corner and bumped into one of the other girls. She promptly kept walking with uttering an apology.

“Who was that?” The other servant said to herself as she watched this woman walk off.

Inuyasha and the others were already sitting at the low table in the dining room. Cushions had been placed for them all around the table to ensure comfort. When Brent enters the room, everyone looks happy to see him, except for Inuyasha. The half-demon’s expression doesn’t change.

“Hmph, took ya long enough.” Inuyasha grumbled.

Brent opened his mouth, and almost started another argument, but held his tongue as he sighed in frustration.

“Have a seat! They’re about to bring in the food!” Shippo chirped.

The only seat left was between Inuyasha and Miroku. As he sat on the cushion, he crossed his legs and sat Indian-Style. Shortly after he had taken his spot, servants were walking in with food. Rice, sushi, soup, a vast assortment for them to enjoy. With the attack, and the traveling, Brent hadn’t realized how hungry he was.

“This is going to be the first thing I’ve eaten today. I just realized” Brent said while smiling and shaking his head.  
“Then eat your fill. I’d say you earned it.” Miroku said.  
“Why I can’t I smell your blood?” Inuyasha look over at him.  
Hearing the odd question, Brent looks over to his left. Inuyasha looked more concerned than angry. “Um…That’s an odd question don’t you think? And how-“  
“I’m half-dog. I can pick up the scents of blood and people. Not to mention Demons. But ever since you got here, I’ve had this weird feeling about you. And it’s been bugging me all day that I can’t pick up the scent of you blood. Plus, I can barely pick up your scent.” Inuyasha said as he stared him.  
“Uhhhh…Honestly, I have no idea what to tell you. Listen, if you-“  
“It’s not that I don’t trust you. You saved Kagome’s life, and I’m thankful for that. I just want to know what’s going on.”  
“Is this your way of apologizing?”  
“For what?”  
“Oh no.” Kagome sighed.  
“You’re kidding. For messing with me when I woke up!” Brent shot him a dirty look.  
“Hey, not my fault you’re afraid of Demons.” Inuyasha said matter of factly.  
“You son of a-“  
Inuyasha nearly butted heads with Brent as he moved in. “Finish that sentence and you’re a dead man!”  
“Boys! Can you two please just be nice to each other for a little while?” Sango pleaded.

They both crossed their arms and backed up, giving each other dirty looks.

“These two are going to be a handful Kagome.” Shippo whispered.  
“I know.” She sighed in defeat.

With the heated exchange over, everyone proceeds to eat, especially Brent. He consumes almost more than Inuyasha and Miroku combined. Everyone is staring at him as he finished the last of his rice. He looks up and sees everyone staring, and shrugs.

“A near death experience will make ya hungry.” He smiled awkwardly.

Except for Inuyasha, everyone smiled, the girls and Shippo all started laughing a little. It wasn’t long after, as they sat there letting their food settle, that the Lord came in to check on them.  
“I hope everyone is satisfied and has had their fill!” He smiles as he stands near the head of the table.  
“I think fatty here has…” Inuyasha’s eyes pointed toward Brent, who shot him another look.  
“Yes my Lord, we have! Thank you very much!” Sango said as she bowed. Everyone else followed suit, except Inuyasha of course.  
“Very good! My servants will show you to your rooms. May you all rest well!”  
“Pardon me…uh…my Lord?” Brent felt awkward referring to someone in that manner. “I have a question. We’re looking for a particular Demon named Hisao. Have you ever heard of him?” Brent asked as politely as he could.  
“Hisao? Hmmm…I’m sorry young man, I’m afraid I have not.” The Lord leaves the dining room as the servants enter.  
A look of sadness creeps over Brent as he gets to his feet.  
“Don’t worry, we’ll find out the meaning of all this.” Miroku said to console him.  
“Oh Brent-“ Kagome said as she walked over to him. “-I never was able to thank you properly for today.”  
“You don’t need to.” He smiled softly. “I did what I had to. I wasn’t going to let that thing get you.”

As Brent walked away, Kagome could see the Jewel Shard inside his body. It was glowing white; meaning it was pure. She stood there wondering what that could mean, until one of the servants snapped her out of her trance in order to take her to her room.

Night had fallen upon the village, and everyone was getting ready for sleep. The Manor had enough rooms to accommodate the group of travelers so they each had their own room. With the noise of the day having died down, all that could be heard were crickets chirping; creating a nighttime tune to lull listeners to sleep. Brent was in his room, and had found his shirt neatly folded upon his mat. The Tanto had been tucked inside the shirt’s folds, and when Brent inspected it, it looked much sharper than before. He put the weapon back in the shirt and placed it over to the side of the bed. Just as he was getting ready to remove his jeans, he heard the door behind him open. Stepping into the room was the servant that had stared at him earlier; she made sure to shut the door.

“Pardon me my Lord, could I interest you in the company of a woman?”  
Brent stares at her for a second, looking completely confused, before it dawns on him what she meant.  
“OH! Um…no…no thank you. Ummm…I don’t do the whole one night stand thing. Don’t get me wrong I like women…I just uh…I’m not looking for temporary companionship.” He smiled awkwardly and stuttered a little bit.  
“Are you sure? I’ve been told you were attacked today.” She watched him closely as he turned his back and walked over to the mat.  
“Yeah, I was. I have the scars to prove it too. All thanks to-“  
“A Lizard Demon.” She interrupted.  
“Yeah…Did you speak to Kagome?” Brent asked, starting to get a little suspicious.   
“I didn’t need to… I was there…When you killed my BROTHER!” 

At that moment, several things happened all at once. The servant’s eyes and hair changed color to a matching dark green. Two fangs appeared on her top and bottom rows of normal teeth. Her tongue shot out of her mouth and around Brent’s neck. She tightened her grip, causing her tongue to strangle him. Brent’s hands shot up to the slimy noose around his neck, and he tried with all his might to pull it away, but it was no use. It was far too tight. Brent struggled against her pull as he hacked and gasped for air, trying to call for help.

“You killed my brother, and now you will pay with your own life!” She said as pulled him toward her with all her might.

Brent fell forward with a loud thud. There was no way he could yell for help, and he was starting to feel lightheaded. Either he would die from strangulation, or what looked like another nasty bite from this psychotic Demon. If he couldn’t yell for help, then maybe he could make enough noise to wake someone up. Brent started flailing his legs, kicking the floor as hard as he could. He freed one hand to bang the floor with his fist while the other tried to loosen the grip of the tongue.

“It’s no use you filthy human! You die tonight!” 

Just as she thought she would be able to get her revenge, she heard frantic footsteps from down the hall. She regretfully withdrew her tongue and ran past Brent to the other side of the room as the door opened. There stood Inuyasha, and the others. Brent was on the floor gasping and coughing, trying to fill his lungs with air again.

“Damn you…DAMN YOU ALL!” The Demon screamed.  
“Who the hell are you!?” Inuyasha yelled. His knuckles cracked as he readied his claws.

Kagome rushed forward and pulled Brent back while the others stepped up front.

“What do you want?” Sango sneered as she held her Hiraikotsu, ready to toss it.  
“My name is Setsuko, and I’m the sister of the Lizard Demon THAT bastard human killed!” She nastily pointed toward Brent.  
“I’m only just now sensing her aura…has she been hiding it?!” Miroku said.  
“That can’t be possible! It’s slowly becoming stronger, I can sense it!” Sango looked panicked.  
“This is the same aura we sensed near the well!” Miroku said.  
“Before I kill you, you should know I was the one who finished off your brother.” Inuyasha took a step forward.  
“LIES! You’re only trying to protect that lowly coward! I saw him stab my brother in the head with his own weapon! And know this BRENT, I will not rest until you are nothing more than a corpse. I will taste your flesh and blood as I tear your heart from your own body, and devour it in front of you! You screams will be the last thing you hear, and my face will be the last thing you see as you drown in your own blood! I WILL HAVE YOUR LIFE BRENT!” 

Setsuko bashes through the wall behind her and starts to run off into the darkness. Kagome appears from behind everyone as she knocks an arrow.

“I don’t think so!”

Kagome took only a moment to aim her shot, and then releases her arrow. It lit up the room as a sacred bright light shined from it. The arrow soared through the air and straight toward the Demon. Setsuko sensed the grand amount of spiritual power, and went to dodge out of the way. But the arrow proved to be too fast for the Lizard Demon. While she was able avoid a sudden death, the arrow hit her left arm, and cause it to disintegrate. She screamed in agony as she hit the ground, but was quickly back on her feet and running away.

“Did that get her?” Inuyasha asked.  
“No…I only took her arm off.” Kagome said as she lowered her bow.  
“I’m going after her!”  
“Inuyasha wait!” Miroku held his staff in front of Inuyasha.  
“She is able to hide her aura, and even if you could catch her scent, she more than likely has a way of hiding it as well. There’s no point. The best option is to let her come to us.”  
“I hate it when you’re right. Brent, you OK?” Inuyasha asked.  
Getting to his feet and rubbing his neck, he nods his head. “Yeah. I’m fine. But…it looks like I might not be in the future…Inuyasha, did you really kill him? I thought I did him in…” His gaze moved toward the gaping hole in the wall.  
“Yeah. You’d be surprised how tough some Demons are. You were out when he jumped back up.” Inuyasha turned to him.  
“And she’s blaming me…she says she saw it all…” Brent said, looking worried.   
Brent feels a hand on his shoulder, and looks over at Inuyasha. “You saved Kagome. I can never thank you enough for that. But what I can do is protect you. I just ask one thing.”   
Brent had never seen a more serious look on anyone. “What’s that?”  
“I need you to trust me.”


	8. Concerns and Caring

Birds were chirping their morning song as they soared through the air. The sun shone brightly across the village; its inhabitants were already up and performing their work for the day. As the people worked, shooing away chickens, working crops, and building homes, Brent was still asleep. That is, until Inuyasha prodded him with the sheath of his Tetsaiga. 

“Hey. Get up. It’s morning.”

Brent groans as he rolls onto his back. “Really? Just…five more minutes…please…”  
“Get your lazy butt up. We gotta get moving.”  
“I hardly slept last night. So excuse me for not being a bright ray of sunshine.”

After the attack from Setsuko the previous night, Brent was understandably restless. Inuyasha had him stay in his room in order to help maintain the feeling of safety. But even after he and the others had come to his aid, and Inuyasha’s word to protect him, he still couldn’t shake off the anxiousness of his nerves. Plus, he wasn’t entirely sure about how he felt with putting trust into the Half-Demon. Sure, Inuyasha had taken the front line and was ready to kill, but how long would that last before he was deemed a burden by him? Brent had also been thinking about Setsuko herself, and everything she had said. This put his mind into overdrive, further complicating his thoughts. Lying there, he reached up to rub the sleep out of his eyes, until Inuyasha shoved him off the mat with his foot.

“DAAAH! I’M UP, I’M UP!” Irritated, Brent stood up and cracked his neck off to the side.  
“Come on. Get your things and change. I’ll be outside.” 

Brent was still in the white robe meant for sleeping. As Inuysasha left the room, Brent walked over to grab his clothes and weapon. Outside, Kagome was just walking down the hall toward their room.

“Inuyasha, how’s Brent doing?” She looked worried.  
“Not sure. Says he didn’t get much sleep.” His gaze switched back to the closed door.  
“I can’t blame him. This is all new to him. Two attacks in one day…”  
“I have to ask…How much do you trust him?”  
Kagome gave him an odd look, before she took a strong resolve. “I trust him as much as I trust you. He’s been nothing but kind, and risked his life to save me. Don’t tell me that you think he’s deceitful!”  
“It’s not that. There’s just something odd about him…I don’t know what…I can feel it.” Inuyasha turned back to Kagome, his eyes meeting hers.  
“There’s something I should tell you. Last night, just before we all were shown our rooms, I sensed the Jewel Shard in his body…it was glowing white, like it was pure. I could see it.”  
“What? He can’t purify shards can he? I thought only Kikyo had that kind of power.” Inuyasha looked off to the side pensively.  
“I don’t know what it means, but there’s nothing wrong with him. I’ve known that since we met. So when I say I trust him with my life, which should tell you a lot about him.”  
The half-demon simply nodded as the door to the room opened up, and Brent stepped out. His shirt had been cleaned, and the stitching on his shirt was better done than it was previously. The Tanto was reattached to his belt with his shirt tucked behind it; so he could access it with greater ease. 

“Good morning Brent!” Kagome said cheerfully.  
“Good morning.” Brent smiled back. “Did someone speak to the Lord about the wall?”  
Kagome waved her hands at the question. “Nothing to worry about! Miroku and Sango are explaining things as we speak.”  
“Let’s get going. Hopefully the old codger will understand.” Inuyasha said as he strolled down the corridor.

By the time they had exited the Manor, Miroku and Sango had finished their talk with their host. Kirara and Shippo were waiting patiently off to the side as the others gathered together.

“We’ve spoken to our gracious host, and fortunately he was very understanding on the matter. Plus he was relieved to know that no one was seriously injured. He’ll be increasing the number of guards around his home.” Sango said.

Brent breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the news. He was hoping that the Lord wouldn’t be mad. Now he could rest easy.

“Are you doing all right since last night Brent?” Asked Miroku.  
“I’m a little tired, otherwise I’m fine.”  
“He says he didn’t get much sleep.” Inuyasha said.  
“Look, I’m fine, really. I’m awake and ready to go. I just have one thing to ask. Is it a good idea to have Shippo and Kirara come along? I’d hate to see anything happen to them.” Brent looked concerned.  
“Hey! I’ve been with these guys for a long time! I help out as best as I can!” Shippo squeaked in defense of himself.  
“Oh and you haven’t seen what Kirara can do! Kirara!” Sango said as she looked down at the demon feline.

Brent watched as the tiny kitten sauntered over and mewled. When she burst into flames, Brent jumped and took a few steps back. As the flames subsided, the tiny kitten had transformed into giant version of herself; complete with massive fangs.

“HOLY HELLCAT!” Brent said looking shocked and slightly afraid.

Kirara tilted her head and whined as she stepped over to the human.

“It’s OK Brent. Remember, she likes you!” Kagome said as she chuckled at the look on his face.

When Kirara reached Brent, she nuzzled her head against him lovingly and whined. Brent was skeptical at first, but when he felt how gentle she was, it eased his nerves. Reaching to her head, he rubbed behind her ears, making her smile.

“I don’t even know what to say…I’m seeing and experiencing things I didn’t think were possible…” Brent sounded slightly anxious as he warmed up to the larger Kirara.  
“See? You have nothing to fear. Everyone here is on your side.” Sango had walked up and started stroking Kirara’s back.  
“It makes me really happy that those massive fangs will be defending me, instead of…well…you know…” Brent awkwardly smiled as he tried not to think any further on the subject.  
“Can we get going now? We’ve wasted enough time standing around.” Inuyasha said impatiently.  
“Geez Inuyasha, no need to rush. We have a new friend! Take it easy!” Shippo said as he swiftly hopped onto Kirara’s back.  
“Where are we headed next?” Brent asked as he walked alongside the large demon feline.  
“Unfortunately, we have no set destination. The best we can do is seek out nearby villages and castles, and ask anyone there if they know anything.” Miroku stated.

And so, the diverse group of seven were on the road once again. The sun shined brightly, high in the cloudless blue sky. A crisp, cool morning breeze blew past them, creating the ideal weather to travel. Nothing but countryside, forests, and mountains could be seen for miles. Brent had never seen such a beautiful landscape in his life. Despite the circumstances in which he arrived, it seemed there were things he could still experience and enjoy.

The faction of friends wandered along at a steady pace; not too slow, but also not too quickly. Small talk flowed in and out as their footprints left a trail behind them. Kagome talked about school, and how she was thankful she was given the month off school since Brent was here. They had turned it into a sort of assignment for her, which she would have to right a report on. Kirara had shrunken down to her kitten size, and perched herself on Sango’s shoulder. While the others were talking, Brent was lost in thought. Everything from the previous night had come fluttering back into his head. His legs did all the work, while he stared at the ground, losing sense of everything around him. It wasn’t until a tap on the shoulder, from Miroku’s ornamental staff, brought him back to reality.

“Brent? Is something on your mind?” The Monk asked.

All eyes were on him now, except for Inuyasha’s.

“There’s…a lot actually. I’m worried…” Brent became solemn as he kept walking along.  
“I told you, I’ll protect you! You got nothin’ to worry about.” Inuyasha said from up front.  
“That’s the thing. I’m not worried about myself. I’m worried about you guys.” Brent said, looking around at them all.  
“Why are you worried about us?” Kirara mewled as Sango asked the question.  
“Brent, we’ve been through a lot of tough situations. We can handle whatever comes our way.” Kagome smiled warmly.  
However, Brent remained unchanged. “You say that you can handle anything that comes your way, but what if you can’t? I’m not trying to offend you guys, but you’re not invincible. Life throws the unexpected at people all the time, and it can truly screw people up. I know you guys are experienced, and that you stick together. But…If Setsuko is still alive, and she is bound and determined to get me, then what worries me is what she plans to do. I can say with certainty that she isn’t as strong as her brother, but she makes up for it by being crafty. She somehow disguised herself as a servant, even changing her hair and eye color, and hiding her fangs! Not to mention how she hid her…what was it…her ‘Demonic Aura’? She’s smart, incredibly smart. Brains can be just as dangerous as brawn, and if she was that cunning enough to sneak up that close, it worries the ever-loving hell out of me what she may try to do to you guys to get to me…”

During the middle of Brent’s explanation, everyone had stopped, and had their full attention on him. There was a moment of silence when he finished; only the birds seemed to be chatting around them as they soared through the air.

“It seems you’ve put a lot of thought into this. And unfortunately, it’s all true.” Miroku’s head rested in his hand pensively.  
“Spare me! That puny Lizard Demon is nothin’! One swipe from my Tetsaiga and she’s a goner!” The cocky half-demon said as his hand rested on the sheathed sword at his side.  
“See? That’s exactly what I’m talking about! You think you’re untouchable, yet we have no earthly idea what she is capable of! I don’t want to see anyone get hurt because of me!” Brent’s concern radiated in his voice.  
“But you didn’t kill her brother. Inuyasha did!” Shippo squeaked.  
“And yet she blames me! The only thing she saw was me jamming this blade into his head!” Brent’s voice was steadily getting louder as his concern grew.  
“If anything did happen, we wouldn’t hold you accountable, that wouldn’t be fair.” Kagome tried to console him as she stepped forward.  
“I would hold myself accountable! I-“  
“SHUT UP!” Yelled Inuyasha.  
All eyes were on the half-demon now. “I don’t care who this Setsuko is, and what she can do. I’ve faced Demons that were much bigger and tougher than her. Nothing is going to happen to anyone here, not on my watch! So quit your blubbering and let’s move!” Inuyasha turned back to the road ahead, and continued forward.  
“Try not to dwell on this too much. It isn’t good for the mind.” Miroku said as he motioned for Brent to move ahead.  
“That’s easier said than done…” Brent frowned.  
“Just keep thinking about home! Who knows? We might be going back tomorrow!” Kagome said, trying to keep spirits high.

Unfortunately, this didn’t do much for the worrisome American. His thoughts would not stray from the idea of himself being responsible for any injuries. Brent walked along trying to think of other things, happy thoughts like home, or a nice cushy bed, his friends and family. No matter hard he tried, all his views went right back to the negative, and began to weigh down on him.


	9. Less Brawn, More Brains

Setsuko’s plan had worked flawlessly until the moment Brent’s friends had intervened. Her Demonic Aura had been hidden perfectly, the disguise was perfect, and her ability to alter her appearance minorly had made it all the more believable. However, she had forgotten one thing in her strategy. The strength that she possessed was nowhere near that of her late brother’s. Were she stronger, Brent would be nothing more than a corpse for her to gorge herself on. Cursing herself for not being more methodical in her planning, she decided that planning was going to be her most ideal option. The Lizard Demon would certainly have the time after she made her narrow escape. 

After Setsuko had broken through the wall of those disgusting human’s home, one of Kagome’s arrows was shot her way. Had the arrow made a direct hit, Setsuko would have been obliterated. Fortunately for her, the arrow only struck her left arm, and destroyed it. Never before had she felt such power from a human. The young woman who fired it had to have been a Priestess, she thought. There was no way anyone else could have fired such a powerful arrow. The more Setsuko thought about the young woman, the more pensive she became about Brent’s other friends. One of them was definitely a half-demon. He had looked to be carrying a sword, but seemed ready to use his own claws to fight instead. Definitely could be a problem running into him. Death would have come from his rather swiftly had she not hidden her scent. It was another trick her and her brother learned from a Ninja, and he met the same fate as the Monk who taught them how to hide their auras. The Ninjas would use a special powder, made from various ingredients, which would enable anyone to conceal the scent they give off. Setsuko knew how to make this delicate mixture and always had a small bag of it on her.

There were two more humans as well. One was most certainly a Monk. She had dealt with Monks before. Many of them will still so naive and far too trusting in their abilities. But this one in particular seemed more exprienced. And there was something about him that told her instincts he was more dangerous than he looked. The third and final human, looked like a Demon Slayer. Setsuko had heard of an entire village of them being wiped out, and now was curious if she was from the same village. Her brother had always told her to avoid them at all costs, and for good reason too. Their special training, armor, and varied weapons helped them overcome incredibly fierce demons. 

It would seem that Brent had luck on his side in making such friends. From how they responded so quickly to his distress, she knew they were not going to let her take him without a fight. Being outnumbered, even with her tricks, would only send her to her grave. While she sat high up in the trees, in her pensive state, her arm was ever so slowly beginning to grow back. It would take at least a day for it fully grow back, and even then she would have to readjust herself. No pain was involved in the process, which left her to sit and reflect undistracted. 

The Lizard Demon soon came to a conclusion on what strategy would be the best. Even with Brent isolated in his own room, he was smart enough to be loud to garner attention. The only course of action that would enable her to exact revenge, would be to separate him from his friends. That wretched human would not slip through her grasp again. He would be begging for her to end his life before she was ever done torturing him. But would she allow him that small bit of mercy? No. There wasn’t a single merciful bone in her body when it came to her brother’s murderer. Unspeakable things awaited Brent in the future, and all she needed was to get him alone. And she knew exactly how she was going to do it too.

Before her brother’s demise, he and she were sending weaker Demons into Lady Kaede’s village. Their intent was to tire out the villagers so that they could pick their prey with ease. The clan that Setsuko came from took dominance over lesser Demons, and used them as fodder to make to their ulterior motives easier. Brent was going to end up in her hands easily. She would let her arm grow back completely before ever mounting an attack. Until that time, she would locate some Demons weaker than herself, and have them do her bidding. A smile, that showed nothing but malicious intent, adorned her face.


	10. The Soul Eater's Castle

What felt like having traveled hundreds of miles, Brent had only traversed a small fraction of Feudal Japan’s countryside with his new friends. The entire day seemed uneventful until night began to fall. As the sun drew close to dropping away to have some rest itself, they spotted a castle looming over them from a nearby plateau. There was a unanimous agreement to see if they could convince the Lord there if they could rest in his home for the night. As they approached the grounds of the castle though, there were many torches lit up, and tents lined up outside in a haphazard fashion. 

Inuyasha knew something was wrong as he sniffed the air. “I smell death here. Human bodies…” His brow furrowed as he looked around.  
“Is that what all these tents are for?” Brent looked around; feeling like something was going to pop out at him  
“No…These are soldier’s tents. Why are they in front of the castle?” Sango tightened her grip on her weapon.  
“Ohhhh! I don’t like this!” Shippo shivered as he clutched onto Brent’s shoulder.

It was then that the Captain of the army exited his tent with another man. His clothes indicated that he was the Lord of the castle. While the Captain of the army was speaking to the Lord, they could see his bloodied and scratched up armor. As Inuyasha and the others approached, several soldiers rushed out and pointed their weapons at the group.

“HALT! Who dares approach the castle?!”  
Miroku stepped forward to speak. “Calm yourselves. We are weary travelers looking for a place to stay for the night.”  
“Lower your weapons men. They are no threat.” The Captain advanced from behind his men. “I regret to inform you that this castle, as of now, is not fit to reside in.”  
“What seems to be the problem?” Kagome asked as the Lord stepped forward.  
He spoke in a smooth and calm tone despite looking rather sullen. “My castle has been taken over by a Demon.”  
“Yes…I can sense the aura now…” Miroku looked up to the closed gate of the castle.  
“What are all your men doing out here?” Brent asked as he looked at all the tents.  
The Captain released a heavy sigh, one that would signify regret or defeat. “Many of my men have already fallen at the hands of that wretched beast. It is no ordinary Demon. This particular one feeds off of the souls of humans. And no matter how hard my men fought, no blade could touch the damned thing.”  
“Wait, what do you mean no blade could touch it?” Brent raised a brow curiously.  
“Any time my men would strike, their weapons would go clean through it. No blood, no cuts. It’s as if it were a ghost.”  
Shippo let out a small yelp of terror as he tensed up, causing Brent to look at him with a weird expression.  
Sango then took a step forward to address the men before them. “If we get rid of this Demon for you, will you provide a place for us to stay?”  
“If you rid my home of this abomination, I will greatly reward you all!” The Lord bowed gratefully.  
“Well then, what are we waiting for?” Miroku was the first to walk ahead toward the gate.  
“He’s doing it for the money isn’t he?” Brent’s question received some exasperated nods from the others, which in turn made him roll his eyes at the Monk’s intentions.  
“And please, before you take care of this Demon, I beg you, don’t disturb the remains of my soldiers. They deserve proper burial.” The Captain spoke with a heavy heart.  
“You have our word. We won’t do anything with the bodies.” Sango pulled up her poison mask and nodded to the Captain. “Kirara, you stay here with the soldiers in case it comes out.” The demon feline nodded and transformed to her battle size, much to the amazement of the infantry. 

Six soldiers rushed forward to the gate, three on each side, and pulled it open for the mismatched group. The large gate creaked and groaned as if it released the combined pain felt by all the fallen soldiers behind it. Once the door is fully opened, the group walked through and began to cross the main yard. The unsettling creaking of the large gate was heard once more as it shut behind them. Shippo became on edge now, and shook like a leaf on Brent’s shoulder.

“WAAAAH! I don’t want my soul to be devoured!” Shippo hugged Brent’s shoulder tightly.  
“Relax little man. I’m sure that Miroku has a plan to stop this Soul Eater…right Miroku?” Brent raised a brow as he looked ahead at the monk.  
The Monk stopped in his tracks, which made everyone else stop. “I have no idea actually.” He half turned and looked back a little embarrassed. 

Everyone sighed and groaned with mild irritation.

“Are you kidding me?! You volunteered without a plan?!” Inuyasha scowled.  
“Relax, we will solve this quickly, I’m sure of it!” Miroku smiled nervously.  
“You let your wallet do the thinking again.” Sango walked past him looking annoyed.  
“I hope you have some of those…paper things handy, because my Tanto won’t do anything here.” Brent began to follow along with them, Shippo still shaking on his shoulder.  
“They’re called Sutras, and as I said, I’m sure we will be able to find a way to defeat this Demon.” This time Miroku sounded overly confident.  
“Kagome, you think your arrows will help?” Shippo asked nervously.  
“Hmmm, I don’t know. We’ll see when the time comes.” Kagome looked slightly worried. She knew they had faced tougher things, but this one was new.

Inuyasha could smell death as they grew closer to the main entrance; the stench growing enormously with his sensitive nose. Just how many men died trying to slay this one Demon? His question was quickly answered, because the moment they opened the door, they were met with a ghastly sight. The bodies of soldiers lined the main hall. All of them were sitting up against the wall as if they had been put on display. Each corpse looked exactly the same as well; the skin was shriveled and had turned a sickening greenish gray, their eyes were entirely black, and the emotion of pure horror was locked onto their faces. The odor of their decaying bodies was now intolerably apparent to those without a nose similar to Inuyasha’s. Everyone covered their noses and grimaced with a groan of disgust.

“That Demon did all this?!” Brent’s eyes jumped around at the grisly display, horrified.  
“Welcome to the Feudal Era pal.” Inuyasha stated unflinchingly.  
“These men didn’t die like this. They were put here.” Sango had kneeled down to inspect one of the corpses.  
“Probably as some sort of warning for those who try to enter.” Miroku agreed.  
“I can’t do this! WAAAAAH!” Shippo put his back to the hallway and cowered against Brent.  
“Will you keep it down you little wimp?! You’ll give away our position!” Inuyasha whispered angrily at the fox demon.

Gentle creaking footsteps echoed down the corridor as the group walked along. The small torches played with their shadows while the corpses watched in silence. Their own shadows stuck in place for eternity; their days of frolicking against the walls and ground done with. The corridor splits into two directions and they all stop.

“We should split into groups. Inuyasha, Brent, and I will go to the right. Sango, Kagome, and Shippo, you three take the left.” Miroku pointed down each of the halls with his staff.  
“Don’t be afraid to call for help. We don’t know what exactly this thing is capable of.” Inuyasha’s eyes pointed toward Kagome, who simply nodded.

Even as they parted ways in two groups there were still bodies of soldiers occupying the halls. Only now, they were lying around in a rather haphazard manner. Many of the corpses were still clutching their weapons, lying face down, on their backs, and in crumpled heaps. A malodorous stench filled the air making it difficult to breathe. Brent carefully tried to step around the bodies; doing his best to not disturb them as the Captain had wished.

“Are you sure we should have let the three of them go alone?” Brent grimaced as a body fell over when he walked by it.  
“You have nothing to worry about. Sango and Kagome are very capable of defending themselves. Even Shippo can do some damage from time to time.” Miroku spoke confidently.  
“I’m sure that they can. I just can’t help but worry…”

The hall came to an end where two bodies were crumpled over one another in front of a door. Inuyasha pushed them aside, somewhat gently, and slid the door open. Before them laid the inner courtyard. Had it not been for the numerous bodies lying about, the outside portion of the castle would have been remarkable. There was a small pond in the center with a wooden bridge hovering across it. Smooth, oval shaped stones lined the edge of the pond, as lily pads with blooming flowers floated harmlessly on the surface. A sand garden sat off to the side, and it looked like someone had used it; thought there was now a corpse occupying it and had ruined someone’s work.

“This Demon needs to be put down.” Inuyasha growled as he looked across the courtyard.  
“This is…absolutely horrifying…” Brent’s gaze scanned the entirety of the formerly beautiful area.  
“What? Are you scared?” The half-demon gave Brent a smug look.  
“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t. Yes I’m a little scared…I’ve never seen anything this grisly before…” Brent decided to just be honest instead of starting an argument; now was neither the time nor the place.  
Inuyasha scoffed and rolled his eyes at the honesty. “Well don’t worry, I’ve faced worse things than this. This lowlife scum will pay for all the lives it took!” 

Meanwhile, on the other side of the castle, Shippo and the girls were working on their search. The poor Fox Demon was perched on Kagome’s shoulder, and shaking like a leaf in a strong wind. 

“I’m worried about Brent…” Kagome said as they walked down the hall of corpses.  
“Relax Kagome, he’s with Inuyasha and Miroku. He’ll be fine.” Sango tried to reassure her.  
“I’m not worried for his safety, I know he’ll be protected, and can protect himself if need be. I’m just worried about how he’s handling all this. There’s no way this can be easy on him.”  
“Just yesterday he survived two attacks and saved your life. I think he’s got his mind on other things. And besides, I’m sure he would mention if he was having trouble with anything.”  
“I really hope you’re right Sango…”

Kagome’s expression said it all. There was nothing but worry and doubt when it came to Brent’s ability to cope with the world around them. There were things that still surprised even her, and she had been coming to the Feudal Era for a long time now.

“H-Help…m-m-me…” A voice echoed from one of the rooms nearby; sounding terribly weak and pained.

Kagome and Sango rush forward and into the room the voice came from. What they found was quite a surprise. Among the corpses that lay about the room, one of them was moving, but only barely. One of the soldiers had survived the assault and was lying underneath one of his fallen comrades.

“Someone’s alive!” Shippo looked around for any other survivors.  
“Quick! Help him up!” Sango put her weapon down for just a moment.  
“Are you all right?” Kagome grabbed one of the soldier’s arms and helped him up.

Blood trickled from a wound on the soldier’s side as the girls helped him up. Grunts and groans are the only sounds he could make as he climbed to his feet. When he finally came to stand, with the help of Kagome and Sango, he could finally find the strength to talk.

“I…I’ll be fine…I was injured during our attack. The same soldier who was on top of me, swung his weapon wildly as his soul was stolen…It struck me, and I’ve been there ever since.” The soldier held his wound to try and stave the bleeding. 

“When was the last assault in here?” Sango wrapped an arm underneath the soldier in order to help him stand.  
“It seemed only moments ago…I cannot be sure…” The wounded man coughed and hacked as they left the room.  
“We need to get him out of here, he’s bleeding badly.” Kagome moved ahead, trying to clear the path by moving the bodies aside.  
“I knew…all these men…like brothers…” The three of them saw the sorrow in his eyes as he looked down the corridor.  
“I’m sorry…It’s a tragedy what happened here…” Shippo looked back at him with genuine sympathy.

The small group slowly traversed through the passage of corpses as Kagome did her best to clear a path. They had reached the hall where everyone had split into groups; the entrance to the castle was only that much closer. But a swift exit was not meant to be as Shippo screamed, and pointed at the exit.

“KAGOME! SANGO! IT’S….IT’S…” Shippo looked utterly terrified as his hand shook.

Kagome and Sango both looked up at once; the soldier could barely lift his head. Down near the entrance, blocking the only way out was a floating creature. Slowly it moved forward for them to see it better. Before them, a Demon with three large red and black eyes, four spindly arms sporting boney fingers, ghostly white skin, and a sickly white glow surrounding it, smiled maliciously with a mouth full of razor sharp teeth.

“My my, it seems I missed one of those lowly soldiers. Thank you for bringing him to me.” The voice of the Soul Eater instilled fear with its low grumbling gurgle. “Give him to me, and I’ll consider letting you live, despite trespassing the castle of Borei the Soul Eater!”  
“This isn’t your castle! You stole it!” The teenager shouted showing no fear.  
“We’re not letting you take anyone else’s souls!” The Demon Hunter yelled from behind Kagome.  
“That’s a shame. Though I won’t complain, because I’m going to devour your pure souls along with his!” The Demon suddenly bursts forward with great haste; his arms outstretched and ready to grab whatever they can.

Kagome rushes to help Sango with the injured soldier as they take off back down the hallway. The moment they hit the fork, they take the right hall in hopes of finding the boys. The soldier is only able to keep up with them thanks to their holding him up. Shippo wailed as he held onto Kagome for dear life, and tried to not look back.

Inuyasha, Miroku, and Brent had moved past the courtyard and into an unexplored area of the castle. They hadn’t gotten very far when Inuyasha began sniffing the air.

“I smell blood…human blood…and it’s fresh! This way!”   
“Is it Sango? Or Kagome?” Miroku asked as the three of them ran down the hallway back to the courtyard.  
“No! This is a new scent! Hurry!”

Brent was still amazed by Inuyasha’s ability to catch scents like a real dog, especially when the stench of corpses hung in the air around them. Their rushed effort to find out what’s going on ended the moment they reached the courtyard. Opening the door revealed Kagome and Sango running as fast they could with a wounded man in their arms. Right on their heels followed the Soul Eater Demon.

“WHAT THE HELL?!” Brent staggered for a moment as he saw the Demon floating in the air.  
“GET DOWN!” Inuyasha leaped forward with his hand reaching for his Tetsaiga. 

Brent became astonished to see the brilliant light flash from the sheath of Inuyasha’s sword, but even more so as what looked like a Katana, suddenly grew to a massive size. The girls ducked away with the soldier off to the side and out of the way. With one great leap, and a mighty swing, Inuyasha brings the sword down from over his head and slices through the Demon. 

“Got em’!...Huh?”

The Soul Eating Demon was entirely unaffected as the Tetsaiga passes through it leaving not a single scratch.

“HAHAHAHA! You FOOL! You’re soul may not be pure, but I’ll take it anyway!” The long spindly arms of the Demon reach out for Inuyasha, but miss as he jumps away in front of the girls. The floating specter could see the aura of his prey’s soul around their body, and the brighter it shined, the more pure their soul was.  
“Weapons don’t harm…the Demon…they just…pass through!” The soldier weakly shouted.  
“The guys outside even told us that! Did you already forget?!” Brent yelled as Miroku started reaching into his robes.  
“I can remedy this!” Miroku pulls out several Sutras, and throws them at the Demon, just as he did with the Shadow Demon. The Sutras hit their mark, and cause sparks to fly all around the floating monstrosity. Though the Sutras looked like they were working, the Soul Eater showed no pain, nor did it even flinch.

“You imprudent Monk! Did you really think that would work on me? RAAAAAAGH!” 

The Demon rushed forward at Miroku. The Monk jumped off to the side, and Brent had to dive in the other direction, falling into some bushes. While Brent rushed to his feet, Borei took notice in him as he sensed his soul. 

“You…your soul- “his three eyes widened tremendously as he stared at the young man, “is wonderfully pure! If I devour your soul…I can take the unstoppable form I wish to possess! COME TO ME!”  
“ No no NO CRAP!” Leaping from the bushes, Brent runs into the castle from where he, Inuyasha, and Miroku were exploring next.  
“Brent, don’t stop running!” Kagome shouted as she let go of the soldier.

The teenager pulled up her bow, knocked an arrow, and aimed for the Soul Eater. Before she could fire the arrow, the door to the innards of the castle shut and ruined her aim.

“Darn it! We have to help Brent!” Kagome rushed toward the door along with Inuyasha and Miroku.  
“We can’t let him take Brent’s soul!” Inuyasha sheathed the Tetsaiga and threw the sliding door open.  
“Sango! Shippo! Stay here and look after that man!” Miroku was the last one to enter as he shouted back at them.

The Demon Hunter and little fox both nodded as the wounded man groaned in pain. Sango immediately set to bandaging the wound with some supplies hidden on her armor.

Inside the narrow halls of the castle, the Soul Eater was hot on Brent’s heels. The corpses that littered the paths only made things more difficult for him as he sprinted with all his strength. He could hear the Demon behind him laughing wickedly as he floated over all the bodies, unhindered in his hunt for the final soul he needed.

“WHY THE DAMN HELL AM I ON EVERYBODY’S MENU?!” Brent shouted as he took a turn to the right.  
“You only delay the inevitable mortal! GIVE ME THE PURITY OF YOUR SOUL!”

Stuck between a rock and a hard place was almost an understatement with Brent’s predicament. He knew there was no way he could keep this up. Between trying to stay ahead of the Demon, and weaving between the bodies everywhere, his stamina was going to diminish quickly. It was that much harder to run having to jump around the numerous cadavers. The sounds of his hurried plunking footsteps on the wood floor, and his rapid breath were the only things echoing down the halls now. Brent was closing in on the next turn in the current hallway. If he could just take a few more right turns, he could make his way back to the courtyard. However, he was met with a great shock, as one of the fallen infantrymen rose into the air in front of him; surrounded by a strange white glow. The Soul Eater had used his powers to manipulate the dead and block the path. Brent tried to stop in time, but ended up crashing into the floating body, and tumbled along the floor with it. Maniacal laughter bellowed from behind him as he quickly turned over to his back. The long spindly arms and boney fingers were reaching for him as the Demon drew closer at a rapid rate. Looking to his left, Brent noticed a door and flung it open. Just as the ghoulish apparition dove for him, Brent rolled into the adjacent room and slammed the door as he jumped to his feet. Eyeing the room around him, he had hoped to find a place to hide, or another door to escape through. The room he had entered was a blessing and a curse all at once. It had helped him avoid having his soul stripped from him, but also put him in a dire situation. The room was untainted by nameless corpses, but there was nowhere to hide, and no other doors. Brent had run into a bedroom; nothing more than a dead end.

Back in the courtyard, Shippo was doing his best to help Sango try to and patch up the wounded man. Everything Sango would ask for he handed to her as quickly as he could. It was when they were nearly done when Shippo noticed something off about the man. As he looked up at him, there was a quick white glow in the irises of the soldier’s eyes.

“Mister…Are you feeling…OK?” The little fox demon asked rather timidly.  
“He’ll be fine Shippo. The bandage will hold off the bleeding until-“  
“No not that! Look at his eyes!” Shippo interrupted as he pointed to the man’s face.  
“W-what? What is wrong with my eyes?”

Sango gazed into the man’s dimly lit eyes, and gasped in shock as the same white glow appeared. Things became even more startling as the glow became red, just like the Soul Eater’s eyes. As an evil grin appeared upon his lips, his hands shot up around Sango’s neck. 

“Let go of my friend!” Shippo leaped up at the soldier, but he was quickly slapped away. The poor little fox bounced along the ground as he yelped in pain.

Seizing the opportunity of the distraction, Sango rolled onto her back, and kicked off the soldier, sending him flying behind her with a grunt of pain. She grabbed her Hiraikotsu and readied herself to fight as she stood in front of Shippo.

“It seems you discovered my little secret.” The voice of the soldier had changed completely. It now sounded the exact same as the Demon Soul Eater’s. “I knew it was only a matter of time before you found my little puppet! So now you must perish with this knowledge!”

Under the manipulative powers of the Demon, the soldier withdrew his sword and charged at Sango with a war cry. His intent was to slice the Demon Hunter right down the middle, but she blocked in time with her massive weapon.

“Snap out of it! You can’t let that monster control you!” Reasoning with the crazed individual before her did nothing to help.

There was no reason to kill this man. It wasn’t his fault that the Demon was casting its powers over him. All she could do was block and parry his advances. Her only hope was that Inuyasha and the others could find a way to defeat the Soul Eater.

Brent was now holding the door shut with the hopes of preventing his assailant from entering the room. This proved fruitless as the four ghostly arms simply phased through the door as if it weren’t there. Jumping back in surprise, Brent watched as the Demon passed straight through the door. Chuckling and grinning widely, he approached Brent slowly as he backed away. There was nowhere to run to, nowhere to hide. 

“Well well, all that running around and here you are, stuck on my plate and ready to become the nourishment I crave so!”

This was it; Brent could see the same hungry glare that the Lizard Demon had on his face. There was nowhere to move now as the long ghastly arms reached for him. From behind them, the sound of the door being ripped opened met their ears; coupled with the swish of a flying arrow. A bright light filled the room as Kagome’s sacred arrow hit the floating ghoul and knocked it to the side of the room. Not wasting a moment’s time, Brent ran toward his saviors.

“Ohhhhh…You meddling wench! HOW DID YOU DO THAT?!” The Soul Eater screamed as it rose back into the air.  
“Your arrows can’t destroy it either!” Exclaimed Miroku.  
“Yeah, but they can still give him hell! Kagome! Fire another!” Inuyasha shouted as Brent ducked out of the way upon reaching them.

Light filled the room again as the arrow struck the apparition again; this time sending it through the wall with a wail of pain.

“Come on! Let’s get back to the courtyard quick!” Inuyasha commanded as the four of them sprinted back down the hallways.  
“Thanks Kagome. One second later and I’d look like a rotted raisin!”   
“Don’t mention it!” Kagome smiled as they took a turn.

In the courtyard, Sango was still struggling with the demented soldier. Shippo stood back away from the fight as the possessed man swung his sword madly. For the duration of their struggle, Sango had tried to entreat her would-be foe.

“You have to be strong! I know you’re in there still! Please hear me! Nnng!” Another blow had been aimed for her shoulder at a downward angle. Blocking with her Hiraikotsu, she jumped back closer to where Shippo was. 

“You stupid wench! Quit your babbling and DIE!” The haunted warrior raised his sword above his head once more, and charged all while screaming madly.

Sango took hold of both the grips on the back of her oversized boomerang and braced herself once again. Before even half the distance was covered between them, the soldier began to slow down, and looked as though a great pain had surfaced inside him. Coming to a stop, his body began to tremble, and his eyes flashed between the fiery red and the normal brown they previously were.

“N-N-No! I…can’t do this! Leave me…at once Demon!” The haggard voice of the warrior had returned.  
“Why you feeble little creature! You cannot cast me from your body! You will feed me the souls I have stored within you!” His eyes turned red for the brief moment the Demon had regained control over him, but the body he wished to have power over still would not budge.

It was this moment that Inuyasha and the others had reentered the courtyard. The very second that the red-clothed fighter saw the soldier with his sword raised, he jumped down after him.

“So we got ourselves a traitor huh?!” Inuyasha rushed straight for him, ready to knock his lights out.  
“INUYASHA DON’T! He’s been possessed!” Sango shouted in order to stop her ally.  
“What?!”  
“I…I contain…the souls of…my comrades?” A look of sheer horror appears on the man’s face as he finally dropped the sword. Tears began to well up in his eyes with the realization.   
“What is this thing capable of?” Brent looked to Miroku for an answer.  
“I would rather not find out what it will be capable of if it attains the power is desires.” Discontent and the desire to end the suffering in the area were written all over the Monk’s face.

An enraged screech filled the air from behind Brent, Kagome, and Miroku, as the Soul Eater flew through the walls. The three of them scattered in different directions as it tried to take hold of anyone it could grab. Inuyasha took position in front of the three of them; ready to pull them out of the way when he charged. Kagome knocked an arrow and aimed straight for the specter; prepared to daze it again. Before another move was made, the sound of a dagger being unsheathed met everyone’s ears. The soldier had withdrawn the small weapon, and taken it in both hands with the blade pointed at his own body.

“I will not succumb to your desires Demon! I will release my comrades in arms!” The soldier yells.  
“NO DON’T DO IT!” Sango tried to run forward to stop him.  
“NO! YOU’LL RUIN EVERYTHING!” The Demon screamed as it tried to take control over its puppet again.

Neither Sango nor the Soul Eater were fast enough. In one motion, the doomed soldier brings the dagger into his own heart. The sound of flesh being pierced was louder than the scream of the Demon it seemed. Only a small groan of pain was uttered from the warrior. His eyes closed slowly as he fell to his knees, and then onto his side.

“NOOOOOOOOOO!!!”

The four grotesque arms of the Soul Eater tried to wrap around itself while it trembled and shook. Everyone watched in astonishment as the souls of fall soldiers burst forth from their ally’s body; all disappearing into the night sky. An awful screech escaped the Demon causing everyone to focus their attention on it now. It exploded in a burst of light, and separated into three smaller forms. Each one had a single eye, two arms, and an expression of terror. The three of them squealed and tried to fly away into the air after the souls.

“I’ll take care of this! WIND TUNNEL!” Miroku stepped forth and removed the beads from around his right hand.

The black hole in Miroku’s hand opened up, and an awesome power was revealed to Brent. In a mix of shock and awe, he watched as the squealing one-eyed Demons were pulled out of the sky with great haste toward the Monk’s hand. Just as quickly as Miroku’s Wind Tunnel had been withdrawn, it had done its job as well. The three Soul Eating Demons were sucked into his hand, screaming for their lives, and disappeared forever. Once the threat was gone, the Monk closed his hand as he wrapped the beads around his arm once more.

“That is the end of that.” Miroku clenched his fist as he pulled the beads tightly.

Brent was still gawking from the display that had just been put on before him. How in the world was such a thing possible?

“What the…how…did you…” The American couldn’t form complete sentences.  
“There’s a lot to learn about us yet. The only reason Miroku can wield such a power, is because of Naraku.” Kagome said as she walked over to Brent.  
“It is a curse cast on my family since the days of my grandfather thanks to that vile Demon. Unless Naraku meets his death…I will be sucked into the Wind Tunnel just as my father, and his father before him.” Miroku spoke somberly as he approached the sacrificial warrior.  
“I’m so sorry…” Brent walked up with the others toward the man that stopped the Soul Eater.  
“I appreciate your concern.” The Monk kneeled before the body and began to pray for the man’s soul.  
“We should head back outside and let everyone know what happened.” Sango suggested as Miroku stood back up.  
“To think that poor guy was being kept alive just to be a feeding ground…” Inuyasha shook his head in disgust.  
“I’m just glad this is over with…” Shippo had climbed back up on Brent’s shoulder.  
“Me too little man. Me too…”

As the group of adventurers made for their exit, Brent stopped to take one last look at the man who had sacrificed his own life.

“He’s in a better place now.” Shippo spoke timidly.  
“Yeah…And if he can hear me…Thank you. You saved our lives and who knows how many others from ever suffering the same fate…” Both Brent and Shippo looked to the night sky where the souls had disappeared, before rejoining the others down the corridor.


	11. When Reality Sets In

“Did you see all those strange lights flying into the sky? What do you think those were?” The castle’s Lord stood outside the army Captain’s tent. His gaze focused on the exact place where the strange lights had departed.

“I can’t say that I know my Lord. Hopefully it will mean the end of that disastrous Demon.” Sitting down near the flap to the tent the Captain seemed lost in thought; wondering if the group of travelers would be able to right the wrong committed within the castle walls.

The haunting painful creak of the castle’s doors drew the attention of the two men as several soldiers worked to open the doors. The moment the group of hired travelers appeared through the great wooden doors the Lord and Army Captain rushed over. A great group of the remaining soldiers followed behind them eager to learn of their efforts. The soldiers could see that a couple of them, the Demon Hunter and the strangely dressed young man, were looking a bit worn.

“Hey! That Demon is gone. You can have your castle back.” Inuyasha tells them as he leads the group out.

The air fills with the roar of the men cheering; raising their weapons high in the air. The Lord breathed a sigh of relief as a great smile spread across his face. The Captain remained somber even as his men cheered. Approaching the people who vanquished the abomination responsible for the deaths of many of his men, the Captain looked stern as ever.

“Tell me. Were my men disturbed?” Inuyasha and the others could see the worry on the Captain’s face, as much as he tried to hide it.  
“We did have to move some of the bodies, but that was only because we tried to help a survivor.” Sango said as she stepped forward.  
“One of my men survived?! Where is he?!”  
“I’m afraid he sacrificed himself. You see, the Demon was keeping him alive only to store the souls of all the other men inside him for later consumption. The moment he found out about this, he took his own life.” Miroku remained collected as he told the news.  
“He’s in the courtyard and the only one who isn’t affected like the others.” Kagome said as she clutched at her heart.  
“Pray tell, what were all those strange lights then?” The Lord asked as his happy demeanor was replaced with a sad one upon hearing of the survivor’s sacrifice.  
“Those…Those were the souls of all your men…” Brent said as he came to terms with what happened.

In the heat of the moment, all that had happened hadn’t registered with him. Now the reality of the world around him was setting in. Things that he didn’t believe, or didn’t think were real or even possible, were now making themselves apparent. Everyone could see realization in his eyes. This started to worry Kagome as she knew nothing like this would be easy to absorb, especially with him being from America. His culture was vastly different and so were the ideals.

The Army Captain nodded and closed his eyes looking appreciative. “I can’t thank you all enough. The dead may be buried now and rest peacefully. Men! We have work to do!”

Leading the way into the castle, the remaining men follow their leader to deal with the task of burying their comrades. It was a sullen moment even as they all did their best to look unfazed by the night’s events. 

“As promised, I will have some lodgings for you. Seeing as the main portion of my home is being tended to, I hope you don’t mind staying in the servant’s quarters.” The Lord said as he walked up.  
“We will gladly take the offer my Lord.” Miroku replied.  
“I will see to it your payment is brought to you in the morning, and a hot meal is prepared for you before you rest.”  
“We greatly appreciate it! Thank you!” Kagome smiled.

After such a grim and bleak experience, everyone was glad to be able to rest easy. With the eradication of the threat all the servants were absolutely beaming when they welcomed the group into their quarters. And the meal they prepared was a testament to their appreciation. It was better than the dinner at the previous place they had stayed. The rice seemed more flavorful, the soup more bold, and the meat seasoned incredibly well. As Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku, Sango, and Shippo ate, their eyes were all on Brent. His gaze was distant as though he were lost in thought. And indeed he was. After barely making it through another encounter with a Demon, he was trying to make sense of the world around him.

While the events had been truly interesting, they were also terrifying. And yet he still managed to come out alive and not let fear overwhelm him. This was a world where you could see the human soul, where creatures of unspeakable strength and ferocity dwelled. And it was part of the world 500 years in the past. Too many questions fluttered about in his mind. What does this mean about the world’s religions? How did Inuyasha draw forth a mammoth sword? How was Miroku’s ability possible? These were only but a few of the many things he thought about. He was also beginning to question his own beliefs, which were seemingly being laughed at by this world.

“-Brent? Brent?” Kagome had called out to him several times to get his attention. It was only on the fifth time she uttered his name that he shook his head and looked over.  
“Huh? What?” Brent’s eyes popped wide as his attention was finally grabbed.  
“You alright? You were staring at the floor pretty hard.” Inuyasha asked  
“Oh, yeah, I’m good…just uh…thinking is all.” Brent smiled in an attempt to shake things off.  
“Are you sure? You don’t really seem like it…” Shippo poked his leg curiously.  
“Really. I’m fine!”

Brent took another bite of the meat on his chopsticks, or tried to, as it fumbled in his grip and fell into his lap. Everyone was concerned for him, but not as much as Kagome. She watched him eat and could tell his was putting on a face to help relieve their suspicions; much like someone else she knew. And if that was the case then he was definitely going to be stubborn when it came to admitting it. So she opted to just remain silent and sip at her soup.

With another hot meal occupying their bellies, and a tiresome evening dwindling further behind them, everyone was shown to their own rooms while some of the servants shared their rooms with each other. 

Sango had just set her gear and weapon down to the side of her sleeping mat when there was a knock on the door. Curiously, she looked back and answered.

“Come in!”

As the door slid open, she saw Brent standing there still dressed in his modern clothes. Her keen sight immediately spotted the bite marks lining the side of his red shirt as he stepped into the room.

“Brent! What brings you here?”  
“Hey, I just wanted to see how you were. I’d heard how you had to fight of that guy. He was possessed? Were you hurt at all?”

She could see the worry in his eyes, and smiled at his kindness.

“Yes, I’m fine. Staving off his blows was a bit of a chore since I didn’t want to hurt him. The brunt of the damage was taken by my Hiraikotsu.”  
“Good. That…thing, may have wanted my soul, but I imagine taking a blow from a sword would be far more painful.”  
“I appreciate your concern.” She smiled warmly. During the brief pause she could tell that something was his mind; as if he had a question but was reluctant to ask. “Did you need something?”  
“Yes, well kinda. I’m…curious. I want to get to know everyone better and well…I want to know why you are after this…Naraku guy.”

The moment the smile disappeared from Sango’s face Brent was filled to the brim with regret. Even more so as she looked away upset.

“Hey listen! If you don’t want to tell me that’s fine! I can see this is a sensitive issue. I’ll just go. Sorry to-“  
“Wait…”

With no telling how long they would be traveling together, it only seemed appropriate that he knew of her motivations. Everyone else did, and he had shown himself to be trustworthy.

“Naraku…” She released a heavy sigh before she mustered up the courage to tell her harrowing story, “…Naraku is responsible for the death of my father, my friends and comrades, the destruction of my village…and…” 

Even thought Sango paused to turn her gaze away, and hide a tear, Brent saw it travel down her cheek and wondered if he had prodded something he shouldn’t have.

“…I watched them all die…at the hands of my little brother, Kohaku. Naraku, took control of him when we were sent to destroy a Demon that had plaguing a castle…It was all a trick…I even watched him die…and I would have myself had Naraku not healed me, so that I could kill Inuyasha. And even though I saw my little brother die…Naraku revived him with a Shikon Jewel shard. He controls Kohaku and has him perform horrible things…So I wish to destroy Naraku and save my little brother…”

Brent stood there looking at her in complete despair and horror. His mouth was open slightly from the shock of hearing the story, and he felt terrible for ever asking.

“Sango…I…I can’t…I’m so sorry. I wish I’d never asked…”  
“It’s ok…You would have learned of it sooner or later.” She turned back to him and smiled in attempt to be strong.  
“I have a little brother too back home…As much of a pain in the neck that he can be…I still love him. And if something like that ever happened…I don’t know that I’m as strong as you are.”

Sango was a little shocked to see his eyes beginning to water up; he truly cared about the situation she was forced into, and could only imagine her pain.

“Sango I’m so sorry…But I know, that one day, you and all the others are going to get this guy, and give him what’s coming to him.

This made the Demon Hunter smile as she wiped her cheek of the stream the tear had left.

“Thank you Brent…And you need to give yourself a little more credit. You are stronger than you think. I can sense it.”

Now it was Brent’s turn to smile with small laugh.

“I really hope you’re right. You get some rest. At this rate, who knows what will happen tomorrow. Good night.”   
“You do the same Brent. Good night.”

Watching the kind foreigner leave her room she couldn’t help but smile. Brent was proving more and more to be not only good ally, but a good friend as well.

As the young man walked down the dim candlelit hall back to his own room more and more questions popped up in his mind. Who the hell was this Naraku? What was he capable of exactly? Do all Demons have abilities like him? It was all beginning to increase his doubts with Demons, including Inuyasha. What keeps him from killing everyone? Demons here feasted on humans it seemed. And it made it no easier to accept that they had some sort of power or ability at their disposal that made them superior. What exactly was Inuyasha’s motive? Shippo was just a child, but still a Demon. He didn’t seem capable of much, and really liked Brent; so any worry there was practically non-existent. And Kirara…she’s feral, but came off as incredibly intelligent, which could be construed as a benefit or a downside depending on how you looked at it. Kagome was someone he knew he could trust. Miroku and Sango both seemed capable and trustworthy; any fear there was quelled after hearing their stories. There was so much to absorb and process, to question and deduce, and it all wouldn’t leave him alone. So as he laid down on the mat to sleep, unchanged from his normal attire, he did his best to simply shut his eyes and rest; all while the back of his mind worried about the one person he was to consider an ally. The same person who asked him for his trust.


	12. Trial Separation

“I still can’t believe how much that guy paid us.” Brent looked at the small bag Miroku held.  
“Well he is the Lord of a castle, and we did get rid of the Demon that was ailing him.” The Monk simply smiled as the jingle of the coins was heard. “This should last us quite a while.”

As soon as the morning had come the group set off almost immediately from the castle. But Miroku, ever the businessman, made sure to collect the payment that was promised to them. And it was quite a hefty sum; they would have no monetary issues for some time.

It had been several hours since they left the castle and already had found themselves nearing the base of nearby mountains. The day was gorgeous and bright with the sun shining high in the sky.

“Think we’ll make any headway today with our little search?” Brent asked as little Shippo sat on his shoulder.  
“Who knows? We could be heading in the wrong direction.” Inuyasha put rather bluntly.  
“Surely there’s someone we could ask who would know something.” Shippo chimed in.  
“Hey Inuyasha, do you you think Myoga would know anything that could help?” Kagome asked.  
“Hmmmm…He might know something. But you know him, he only shows up when he wants to.  
“Who is Myoga and why can’t we find him?” Brent looked around at them all with vigor.  
“He’s Inuyasha’s servant, of sorts, and tends to run away whenever there’s danger.” Sango said from up front as Kirara walked at her side.  
“Oh, well that’s wonderful. Nothing like a helpful coward…”

Brent rolled his eyes at the news. Why couldn’t the one person who could possibly have some helpful information show up now? Kagome saw his expression and tried to cheer him up as they continued trekking ahead. The sound of a river made itself known among their chatter. As they approached a ravine they could see the fast moving water below.

“Geez…I wouldn’t want to go tubing down that river…I’ll stick to the one back home!” Brent peered down the long drop and raised a brow.

On the opposite side of the river a devious smile was hidden among trees. Setsuko was watching the group carefully; with her gaze focusing on Brent most of the time. Her hands clenched into fists as her teeth bared a malicious smile. Jumping from her perch she moved back, deeper into the woods, and approached a band of followers. It was a large group of smaller, imp-like Demons; gray in color with tiny horns and sharp claws, all of them showing off their small fangs with wicked grins.

“They’re nearby, so allow me to explain this once more. I do not care what you do to the others, just separate the human in the red shirt with the bite marks from them and leave him alive. He is the one I am after. Is that understood?” Setsuko gave her underlings a hard, stern look.

The band of Demon Imps all nodded, growled and yipped in unison, signaling their understanding. Setsuko smiled devilishly again and pointed in the direction of Brent and the others.

“Go!”

With her arm outstretched and stiff as a board pointing away from her, she watched as the massive group of Imps ran through the woods to their assigned target; all of them we sneering and jumping around with glee. 

Setsuko could almost taste the human’s blood now. She was becoming increasingly anxious and looking forward to watching the life drain from his eyes. Though she still hadn’t decided on whether or not she was going to take her time with him to make him suffer, or strip him of life quickly. Vicious thoughts coursed through her mind. Should she tear his heart out, or slowly skin him? What about biting his jugular and watching the blood pour from his neck? There were so many things she would relish doing to the human who killed her older sibling. And each one made her smile a little more twisted. What made her even happier was that her arm was completely reformed. The level of patience she maintained as she recuperated helped her heal and grow it back faster than she had anticipated. It was a requirement, in her mind, that she maintains this mindset and not become reckless like her brother always was. Success would only be achieved this way; failure was not an option for her.

Inuyasha, Brent, and the others had just crossed a wooden bridge they had come across a short way upstream. Brent had been iffy at first, questioning the integrity of the bridge, but all was well as they passed over it safely; even though Inuyasha pushed Brent onto the bridge to get him moving. 

“I suppose we could cut through this forest. There may be another village on the other side of it.” Sango suggested as they stopped a moment.  
“Well let’s figure it out quick, we’re burning daylight.” Remarked Inuyasha.  
“Guys?” Brent tried to get their attention as he gazed into the woods.  
“Why not just follow the river? Where there’s flowing water there’s bound to be civilization.” Kagome added.  
“Guys!”  
“I like Kagome’s plan. Besides, the sound of the river-“  
“HEY!!!” Brent finally yelled and got everyone to look over his way.

Inuyasha was just about to scold him until he saw all the beady eyes starting at them from the edge of the trees. Not a second was wasted as he withdrew his Tetsaiga and readied it with a snarl.

“They wreak of Demon…There’s a ton of them-AGH!” 

Nobody had taken notice to look to the sides, as a second group flanked them and started to jump up onto whoever they could latch onto. Inuyasha was their first victim, or so they thought. Immediately he flung them off his back and arm, following up with a few swings from his massive sword. As the other tiny Imps tried to jump on the others, Sango swung her weapon and Miroku deflected with his staff, the group in the forest began to advance.

“I’ll handle this!” Kagome nocked an arrow, took aim, and fired at the large group coming from the forest. The shot missed entirely as the Imps dodged off to the sides. Setsuko had been sure to inform the Imps of her abilities after her near-death experience.

Brent withdrew his Tanto and drew an arm in front of Kagome. “Move back!” He yelled as he backed up with her toward Kirara, now in her large form and roaring, and Shippo, who was trying his best to look brave.

Kagome nocked another arrow, but just as she aimed at the crowd they all dispersed to the sides. A loud roar echoed from behind Inuyasha, Sango, and Miroku. They turned around to see Imps jumping all over Kirara, Shippo using his Foxfire to try and ward them off, Kagome kicking and throwing off Imps from herself, and Brent trying to help the large feline. The three of them rushed over as fast as they could. Inuyasha rushed straight for Kagome and with just a couple swipes from his free hand, his claws utterly destroyed the Imps that clung to the teenage girl. Brent was still desperately trying to help Kirara, punching and stabbing whatever he could, provided they were slow enough for him to catch them. Things became all too serious when everyone heard Shippo shout and fall off Kirara. One of the Imps had hit him hard across the head and knocked him out cold. Several of the Imps were carrying him toward the river.

“ENOUGH OF THIS! WIND SCAR!” Inuyasha took a mighty swing at another incoming group. What Brent saw actually made him stop and gawk. A great wave of, what looked like white light, shot forth from Inuyasha’s sword and struck the group of Imps. Every last one had been completely obliterated. Nothing was left but long streaks of ripped up ground where the blast had gone. 

“SHIPPO!” Everyone turned and looked as Kagome shouted. The Imps were nearing the drop down to the river as they held the Fox Demon over their heads. Brent ducked under several Imps as he ran forward to help Shippo.

“Inuyasha! Get the rest of these guys!” Brent called back.  
“You don’t need to tell me twice! NNRAH!” The Tetsaiga swung through the air as it was swung with one hand, while Inuyasha’s free hand swiped with its devastating claws.

The Imps that were carrying Shippo were nearing the ledge that dropped into the raging river. Grass was kicked up with every step as Brent sprinted with all his strength. A stream of light passed right by him as Kagome fired an arrow and destroyed a couple of the Imps. The second Brent reached them he reared back his right foot and kicked two of the Imps straight over the ledge, and into the water below. Shippo fell to the ground, still unconscious, and Brent quickly went to scoop him up.

“BRENT WATCH OUT!”

Kagome yelled hoping to warn him in time of a group of the tiny Demons rushing him. An arrow was ready to fire, but with how they where situated, she would hit Brent and Shippo. Brent turned and saw the group just as he picked up the little Fox Demon and was quickly overwhelmed. He tried his best to swipe and cut them down with his Tanto, but a couple of them grabbed his arm as he was dragged toward the river.

Setsuko was watching from the forest’s edge and saw what her minions were about to do, and she started to panic. 

“NO YOU DIMWITS! DON’T THROW HIM INTO THE RIVER!”

The Lizard Demon took a great leap out of the forest and rushed toward the river, but she was far too late.

“BRENT NO!”  
“OUTTA MY WAY!”

Inuyasha tried to move past the swarm that was around him, but realized he was too late as they all heard Brent shout. The Imps had just shoved him, and Shippo, over the ledge. A loud splash was heard over the fighting. Setsuko had jumped to the other side of the river as to avoid Brent’s cumbersome allies. Her eyes darted frantically across the water surface, searching for a sign of the human.

“YOU! YOU’RE DEAD LIZARD DEMON!”

Setsuko looked up to see the white haired half-demon charging toward her, leap into the air, and raise his sword. As he landed, his massive sword struck nothing but earth as she deftly avoided him.

“GET BRENT! I’M TAKING HER DOWN!” Inuyasha yelled to the others as he chased after Setsuko. The two of them disappeared from sight shortly after Inuyasha took chase.

Try as Kagome, Sango, and Miroku might, the Imps were doing a good job of slowing them down. After finally getting some ground, Miroku used his Wind Tunnel on a good portion of the annoying assaulters. Any that were remaining witnessed this awesome power and began to run away, but were quickly cut down as Sango and Kagome teamed up to wipe them out. Streams of light and a massive boomerang soared through the air and ended their existence quickly. Kirara was already prepared to get into the air; kneeled down waiting for two riders. Sango and Kagome both climbed on as Miroku took off running along the ledge. 

“Kirara go lower!” Sango ordered to which the large feline obeyed. Kirara sank down to the surface of the river, and the two girls on her back looked around frantically for any sign of their friends.

“The current is too strong! With how long it took us to get away from those Demons, the two of them could be far beyond here!” Miroku yelled down into the ravine.  
“We have to try! Maybe they caught hold of something!” Kagome yelled back.

Truth be told, that was nothing more than a hopeful thought. There was not a single thing that could have prevented the water from carrying them downstream. It seemed like hours had past as they frantically searched, and the problem only grew worse as they reach a fork in the river. 

“Oh no! Which way do we go?!” Kagome’s gaze switched between the two paths before them.  
“She got away again!”  
“Inuyasha!” Kagome and the others looked toward the other side to see their strongest member arrive.  
“Where’s Brent and Shippo?” He asked as he looked around.  
“That’s just it! We don’t know! The current has swept them away and we don’t know which way to look!” Sango yelled.  
“You guys take the left! I’ll go right!”

Inuyasha didn’t waste a second as he hastily took off; following the river down the right fork. Miroku, Sango and Kagome all sped down the left fork as fast as they could. 

Inuyasha now saw what Brent was trying to say. Setsuko was definitely cunning; using others to cause a distraction while she tried to go in for the kill. He could only hope that Brent and Shippo were unharmed. If anything happened to either of them, especially after having given his word to his new ally to protect him, he would never be able to forgive himself. Inuyasha’s gaze never left the water, and his nose kept searching for their scents as he sped along with the river.

A great distance down the river, where the water is pleasantly calm, a band of three Demons were arguing with each other. Each Demon was different; one was similar to a bat with nasty pointed fangs, and the other two seemed to be brothers. The brotherly pair had horns on their heads, and had a deep brown tint to their skin. The bat was black all over, and had a pair of fierce blood-red eyes. As they were arguing, causing a gratuitous amount of noise, the bat glanced over at the river when he saw something in the corner of his eye. 

“Hey…what’s that over there? That’s…that’s a human!” The bat demon pointed between the pair of brothers causing them to stop bickering. As they all gazed upon the floating body it washed up on the bank, and that’s when they noticed the human was holding what looked like a child. They all rushed over with devious grins.

“Are they dead?”  
“Certainly looks like it…”  
“I want the human…I’m so hungry…”  
“You had the last one all to yourself you greedy-“  
“Enough you two! I’m sick of hearing-“

The bat demon was interrupted when a spluttering cough came from the strangely dressed human. Brent’s eyes popped open as he spat up water. Shippo himself came to in the same manner. While he was wrapped in Brent’s left arm, Brent had somehow managed to keep a hold of his Tanto in his right hand. 

“You OK little man?” A few more coughs escape Brent.  
“Yeah…I’m-WAAAAAH!” Shippo looked up and immediately saw the three Demons staring down at them, all grinning widely.  
“Shippo what’s…oh…” Brent turned over as he let go of Shippo; who immediately climbed onto his back to try to hide.

The bat was the first to greet them as he stepped closer menacingly. “Hello human…Would you care to join us for lunch?”


	13. Triple Threat

Shippo quivered from atop Brent’s back; his teeth chattered lightly as the three Demons stared down at them. Their smiles and gazes spoke of only one thing…hunger. The two Demon Brothers started to circle to the sides in order to surround their newfound prey. Somehow, Brent had managed to keep a hold of his Tanto; his fingers gripped tightly around the handle. He looked up at their captors and knew that he wouldn’t be able to take them all on. He only barely was able to stave off Setsuko’s brother, and he was unarmed then.

“I wouldn’t bother with that little toothpick you have there. You should just give that to me.” The Bat Demon stepped forward with his hand outstretched.

“You know, I’d feel a lot more comfortable keeping it. So I think I’ll pass.” Brent kept eye contact as he got up on one knee.

“Hand it over and your death won’t be as messy!” One of the brothers smirked and took a step forward.

“Brent…I got an idea…Just be ready!” Shippo whispered into Brent’s ear, who made sure to not let on they were up to something.

“Boys, I know you thought you found some lunch, but I have to share some bad news with you…” 

The second Brent paused Shippo made his move and leaped into the air.

“TAKE THIS!” 

Out of nowhere a gigantic Spinning Top Toy appeared and landed on the Bat Demon’s head; making him yell in fright along with his companions.

“GET IT OFF GET IT OFF!”

Not a second was wasted as Brent jumped up and took off when Shippo landed back on his shoulder. The Demon Brothers rushed to their leader and tried to help with the Spinning Top, but couldn’t do anything but panic.

“Shippo! How did you do that?! That was incredible!” 

“It’s only an illusion. It’s part of my Fox Magic!” Shippo was grinning from ear to ear and looking proud.

“You keep that up little man and we may just stay alive until we find the others!”

“Or until they find us!”

Back by the riverbank the Bat Demon was still in a panic over the massive top on his head while the two brothers were trying to help.

“GET IT OFF GET IF OFF GYAAAAAAAAAH!!!”

“IT’LL BURROW INTO HIS HEAD!”

“IT’S SPINNING TOO FAST!”

Just as they thought the worst was about to happen the Spinning Top began to shrink. The moment the top had minimized to its normal size it fell from the Bat Demon’s head. All three of them looked down at the tiny toy with utter dumbfounded looks.

“It was a toy…” The Bat said with incredulity. 

“Gee…Guess we panicked for nothing.”

“Wait til’ the others hear this!”

“It…was…a…TOY!!! YOU IDIOTS! GET AFTER THEM!” 

With the realization hitting him just like the toy had he screamed at the top of his lungs and furiously pointed into the forest. Stumbling at first, the Demon Brothers ran in the direction of Brent and Shippo.

“That little kid is MINE!”

There was a loud flap as the Bat spread his wings, leaped into the air, and took flight over the canopy of the forest. A little child gets the better of him? He wasn’t going to have it. Red with rage he soared over the forest waiting for some sort of sign from his dopey cohorts.

Brent and Shippo were now walking along in the forest. Bright rays of sunlight shone down through the canopy in various spots around them. The two were sharing a good laugh; cackling over the reaction of the leader of the trio who had intended to hurt them.

“Did you hear how he screamed?” Brent did a mock impression of the Bat which made Shippo laugh all the more.

“He didn’t know what to do!”

Voices echoed behind them and brought them to a halt. They looked toward their previously trodden path and listened.

“They gotta be close by!”

“They’re really in for it!”

Brent withdrew his Tanto and prepared himself physically and mentally to fight. Shippo on the other hand started to panic.

“They’re coming this way! We can’t fight them! They aren’t gonna fall for my tricks again!”

“I hate to say it but you’re right little man.” With Shippo perched on his shoulder Brent began to run in the opposite direction. “Hopefully we can outrun them!”

Brent was ready to fight if need be, but his thoughts soon returned to when he had confronted the Lizard Demon. Any normal person, human that is, would have been down for quite a long time after the blow he landed. However, this Demon had rather quickly gotten back onto his feet and was able to do some serious damage. His strength was incredible and he was relentless in his pursuits. If that is a testament to Demons as a whole then how would these three stack up? Are they just as strong? Just how ruthless were they? The idea of fighting them began to actually frighten him a little; especially when the memory of the bite resurfaced. The pain…

They could see the edge of the forest approaching. Blinding light was just beyond the final line of trees. It was far too late to try and turn another direction now. Brent and Shippo exited the forest…but were promptly greeted by an unseen hill just at the forest’s edge. A shout from Brent echoed as he stumbled, and both he and Shippo, who fell from his shoulder, both took a long tumble down the hill.

Flying overhead was the Bat Demon. After hearing some shouting he looked down and a wicked grin crossed his lips. Immediately he broke into a dive with his eyes set on the little Fox Demon who had humiliated him.

Brent had reached the bottom of the hill first near the next stretch of forest. The tumble had caused him to roll along the ground until he hit one of the trees with his back; making him emit a grunt of pain. Slowly getting to his feet with a pained groan he saw Shippo lying flat on his face near the base of the hill…with a shadow shrinking around him. He looked up to see the Bat Demon diving straight for him. 

“SHIPPO WATCH OUT!” Brent took off straight for them.

“Uuuugggghhhh…Whuh-AAAGGGHHH!” Shippo screamed as he looked up to see the Bat Demon’s hands outstretched towards him; hunger filling his eyes.

Another scream and a plea for help filled the air as the Bat grabbed Shippo and made to leap back into the air. Not one to give up, Brent leaped into the air at the same moment and only barely grabbed the Bat’s ankle and yanked out right out of the sky. Both of them hit the Earth with a thud while Shippo flew from the Bat’s grip and landed upon one of his Mushroom Decoys. When he looked over to where the other two were he could see them in a furious struggle; Brent taking swipes with his blade as the Bat tried to grab him.

“Oh no, Brent! Hold on!”

“Hold still you filthy-GYAAAAGGGHHH!”

The Bat screamed after he had just pinned Brent to the ground, but failed to restrain the threatening Tanto in his right hand; which was now jammed into his chest. Another scream escapes the Bat as Brent twists his weapon.

“Do you get the point now? GET OFF!”

Getting a leg free finally, Brent kicked the Bat off of himself. Blood spurted from the wound in the chest of the Demon as the human jumped to his feet.

“There they are!”

“Grab em’!”

“Come on Shippo!”

Shippo soon found himself back on his ally’s shoulder as he was picked up and taken into the next section of forest. The two Brothers stopped for a moment to check on their Leader who quickly berated them.

“GET AFTER THEM YOU FOOLS! GRRRNNNGGG!”

Not another word was uttered as they ran straight after their prey trying to keep them in sight. 

Brent was running out of breath from running so hard, but he had no choice but to try to outrun them. Both he and Shippo could hear the other two Demons behind them shouting at them.

“Come on Brent! Don’t give up!”

“I’m…trying buddy…this is…turning…into too much…hah…hah…”

His breathes were becoming heavier and worn out; beads of sweat dripping down his face. If he slowed down at all it would mean the end of their lives, but his body was starting to fail him. Brent’s legs were burning as he tried pushing off the trees to keep going. Suddenly his legs gave out and he falls face first to the ground with Shippo taking yet another tumble. Immediately turning over to his back Brent sees the two Brothers quickly catch up, and slowly approach.

“Thought you were gonna run away from us huh?”

“We’re on to you two now! No more tricks little Fox!”

Brent held up his Tanto ready to fight as they drew nearer with drooling mouths. This was it…fight, or die. It was just as the pair of siblings were reaching for him that both were struck by some sort of projectile. This was quickly followed by a great puff of smoke suddenly appearing in front of Brent and Shippo. Wincing in pain, the Brothers were dumbfounded to their would-be-lunch gone as the smoke disappeared; vanished into thin air.

“What? Where’d they go?!”

“And what are these?”

The blue Brother pulled the projectile out of his shoulder and held it up. It was a Shuriken with four deadly sharp points on it. Now they knew what happened to their prey. Ninjas had just barely saved them.


	14. The Tanegashima

A hand was clasped over Brent’s mouth, and Shippo’s as well. They were up in the trees after having been grabbed and hoisted up. Looking down Brent could just barely make out the dopey Demons below looking around confused. With the Brothers walking out of sight, and the situation being deemed safe, the mystery saviors take their hands away and speak.

“Are you two all right?”

“Is anyone injured?”

The two voices were from men, and despite the Demons having lumbered away they still spoke quietly.

“No we’re fine. Thanks for the assist!” Brent whispers back.

“You guys are Ninjas!” Shippo squeaked quietly.

Brent took the time to look at his savior, but didn’t see what he expected. The one who helped him into the tree was a younger man, but dressed in ordinary clothing with leaves plastered around on them. 

“Yes, we are. We’re glad to see you two OK.”

“Come, we need to head to the village should they try to search the area again.”

The Ninjas leap down from the branches and land gracefully. Brent however has to climb down since he lacks such poise. Once he is safely on the ground the Ninja who had Shippo is already walking with the little Fox.

“Hey, again, thank you. I would have ended up as their lunch if you hadn’t shown up!” Brent and the Ninja start to follow along behind the other two.

“We had heard the Demons talking, and when we saw you and that little Fox we had to help. My name is Hiro.”

“Well you’re certainly MY hero!” Brent says.

There’s an awkward silence as Hiro just stares at him with a confused look.

“Uhhh…Nevermind. Bad joke. My name is Brent, and the little guy up there is Shippo.”

“Brent…such a strange name. You’re not from here are you?”

“Yeah…Kind of a long story how I got here.”

“Perhaps there is a short version?”

So while the four of them headed toward the village Brent gave a brief explanation of how he ended up in Japan, and how he and Shippo were separated from their group. By the time the tale was over they had all exited the forest and were immediately entering the village of Ninjas. It looked almost no different than Kaede’s village. People were milling about doing work, kids were running and playing, it all seemed normal. Though if one were to look closely, all the villagers had some sort of Ninja gear with them.

“Please follow me, you’ll need to see my Father.” Hiro takes the lead as Shippo and Brent follow along.

It isn’t long before the two friends find themselves inside the house of the leader of the village of Ninjas. Hiro opens the door to a room where several men are standing before his Father. They were discussing something which neither Brent nor Shippo could make out before Hiro stepped forward.

“Father? We have found two more.”

All the men stop talking and turn to look back at Hiro. His father steps forward with a stern look on his face.

“Another Demon attack?”

“Yes Father. We were just barely able to rescue these two.” Hiro steps aside and motions toward their two guests.

“My name is Genji. Please relax. We are glad to see you safe.” The Ninja leader’s face changed instantly to that of a more welcoming smile.

“We should be thanking you! Those Demons were about to gobble us up!” Shippo smiled as he looked up at Genji.

“Really, thank you. I wouldn’t have been able to handle the two guys that were on us. I barely managed one!” Brent said with a sigh of relief.

“You are one of the lucky few to survive the recent attacks in the area. Just a few days ago we housed a soldier, and did all that we could to nurse him back to health. However, his wounds were too great and he passed away. How come you two are alone?”

“We were separated from our friends. There’s a Demon after Brent here, and during her attack he and I ended up in a river and got swept away!” Shippo said with a glance at his tall human friend.

“There’s a Demon trying to take your life?” Hiro said looking worried.

“She thinks that I killed her brother, but it was Inuyasha who actually did it.”

“Inuyasha?”

“He’s a Half-Demon! And a strong one too! He travels with us, and a Monk, a Demon Slayer, and a Priestess!” Shippo squeaks.

Brent made a confused look at the little Fox. “Kagome is a Priestess?”

“She’s a reincarnation of one anyway.”

“Well it seems you are safe for the moment from harm. Now if you will excuse us we still have matters to discuss on the situation concerning these attacks.” Genji bowed, with Brent and Shippo following suit.

It was as Hiro was showing them the way out that something caught Brent’s eye. Off to the side, standing up against the wall, was a gun. He stopped for a moment and looked over at it.

“Is that what I think it is? I thought Ninja’s didn’t use guns?” Brent said as he pointed at the weapon.

“We do not. That belonged to the soldier who died. It’s called a Tanegashima.” Hiro said.

The weapon was short in length, similar to that of a sawed-off shotgun in the modern era. It had one barrel, the flintlock latch, and a curved grip. The wood that created the base of it looked gorgeous; a deep and rich earthy color. It looked as though it had never been used.

“Too bad it’s not like a modern gun…I could really use it…” Brent said to himself quietly as he stood up. 

It was as they were approaching the front of the house to leave that someone barged in yelling.

“LORD GENJI! LORD GENJI! COME QUICKLY! THERE’S A BAND OF DEMONS!”

As soon as Shippo, Hiro, and Brent heard this they rushed outside. What they saw was the worst thing they could have expected. Shippo let out a yell the moment they saw the large group of Demons standing at the edge of the village. And worst of all, the Bat Demon and two Oni Brothers were at the front of the group; a bandage was wrapped over the Bat’s stab wound. When he saw Brent he sneered and yelled out.

“THAT’S HIM! IN THE RED CLOTHING! HE’S THE ONE WE’RE AFTER!”

Parents were already rushing their children away from the large group of Demons. There had to be at least twenty of them! Lord Genji had just come outside and was looking furious.

“Hiro, gather the children and take them inside.” Genji’s gaze never left the group as his son urged the younger members of the village into their house. “What is it you want here?!” The Ninja Lord yelled.

“We want THAT human right there!” The Bat pointed right at Brent with Shippo now on his shoulder. Lord Genji didn’t even bother to look away.

“That won’t happen! We aren’t the type to negotiate with Demons! Brent, you and your friend get inside, now!”

“What?! No way! I’m not letting you-hey!” Before Brent could protest further, Hiro appeared and yanked him back inside the house and toward the room with the children. “Are you kidding me?! Let me back out there! I’m not going to let you guys do this! I can fight!”

“I’m sorry, but I must honor my Father’s wishes. Besides, we must watch after them.” Hiro pointed toward all the children. The youngest one’s were looking frightened and sitting toward the back of the group.

“Brent, I hate to say it, but you’re no match for those guys! Even with a jewel shard in your chest!” Shippo squeaked.

All three of them stopped as they heard fighting begin outside.

“Have no fear. Everyone in the village knows how to fight. We’ll be fine.” Hiro reassured them with a smile.

“You know how strong Demons are right? I certainly hope that-“ But before Brent could finish, Hiro’s father was flung through the door and straight into him. Both of them were out cold, and the children began yelling as two Demons entered the room. Brent had fallen back from the sudden intrusion and Shippo had fallen from his shoulder. When they both looked up they were greeted by the two Oni Brothers.

“Well well well! Lookey who we found!”

“Just the human we were looking for!”

The Brother’s target scrambled to the wall and promptly grabbed the gun.

CRICK! Brent pulled the matchlock back. “You take one step closer and I’ll blow your head off!” If he could take out just one with the gun then his chances in a close-quarters fight with the other would be far better.

“What’s that thing?”

“It looks harmless! Just grab him!”

“I WARNED YOU!” Brent yelled.

…Click…Click Click…

“Oh come on…” Crick! Click! The gun didn’t fire; no matter how many times he pulled the matchlock back.

“Looks like your little weapon there failed you!” The Brothers both smiled as they neared closer; claws outstretched toward him.

Raising the gun up in front of himself, Brent bashed one of the attackers in the face with the grip of the gun and kicked back the other one. 

“Shippo get back!”

“Ohhhhh this looks bad! We can’t fight these guys!” The little Fox began shaking as the children cried behind him.

As the Demons recovered, Brent swapped the Tanegashima to his left hand, and took out the Tanto with his right. He couldn’t let these fiends get him, or worse, hurt these children and Shippo. Anything would work right now. The shard in his chest did very little for him, and wished that it did more. He would give his life to save Shippo, the children, and the village if need be…

“Oh you stupid little idiot!” The Brother with a bloody nose screeched.

“You’re gonna go to our leader in PIECES!” The other said as he clutched his gut.

At that moment a glow began to fill the room. Brent looked down not just from the glow, but also the power he was feeling in his left hand. The metal on the gun was glowing a brilliant white! What was this? Brent raised the gun once more and aimed for the Demon Brother on the right.

“You think that thing frightens us? You miserable-GYAAAAAAAAH!!!”

A mildly loud shot rang out in the room as what looked like a beam of light pierced right through the Demon’s body leaving a gaping hole. The bloodied Demon looked over in shock; his brother stood there frozen for a moment before he finally fell backward, and burst into light. He was gone!

“My..My Brother! You…you evil little-YEAAAAAAAAAGH!!!”

Brent didn’t let him finish as he pointed the glowing weapon at him and fired. Another gaping hole right in the middle of the chest, and then he burst into nothingness.

All the children had stopped screaming and crying. Shippo stood there in awe; his jaw slack and wide open. Brent was looking at his new weapon completely confused; yet eternally grateful.

“Brent…How did you do that?!” The tiny Fox yelled with a smile.

“I…I don’t know!” Brent’s attention suddenly went to the noise he heard outside, and his resolve was quickly decided. “Shippo you stay here and watch after them! I’ve got to help everyone in the village!” He sprinted to the busted down door and stopped as Shippo called out to him.

“You can’t go! There’s too many! I’m responsible for you!”

“You got that backwards, now stay here! No questions!” Getting the final word in, Brent dashed off, his footsteps echoing away.

“AHHHHHHH! IF HE GETS HURT INUYASHA IS GONNA KILL ME! OHHHHHHHH!” Shippo wailed as he panicked holding his head.

Outside of Lord Genji’s house there was total chaos. Ninjas disappearing and dodging attacks, Demons snarling and yelling as they strike and are struck. Shurikens cutting through the air, claws clumsily slicing at flesh and then nothing. A scream rang out as one of the Ninjas was caught in the leg by one of the Demons. Blood spilled down his leg as he lay on the ground gritting his teeth at his assailant.

“Your leader should have given up that human. Now you will die for it!” The Oni yelled with his raspy voice as he raised his blood-tinged claws.

Facing his killer, the Ninja waited for the blow, ready to die. His life was not the one to end though. Instead, a crack rang out and a beam of light pierced the Demon’s arm. He screamed in pain as a hole was left in his arm. The scream was then silenced as another beam pierced his chest; causing him to burst into light. The Ninja stared in awe as the event unfolded before him. When he looked around for his savior he saw that young man running toward him wielding the weapon of the dead soldier!

“Can you stand? How bad is it?” The young man asked him as he kneeled down near him; keeping half his attention on the fight around them.

“I can’t get up…It’s too bad…” The Ninja winced as he tried to move his leg.

Another one came running up, a woman, looking worried. 

“Let me help! Give me your arm!” The woman and Brent helped him up to his feet.

“We need to get him to the house! Lord Genji and his son are out cold and the children are all still inside! My little friend needs help guarding them and-“ Brent gets cut off as another shout of pain echoes through the village.

“Please! You must help us! I’ll get him into the house! I saw what that weapon can do!” The woman pleaded as she wrapped her other arm around her comrade’s waist.

“I already planned on it. Get him to safety and stay there!” The young gun-wielding man rushed toward where the scream came from, and fired his weapon as he ran.

Inside the house there seemed to be an argument going on. Shippo was currently at wit’s end with one of the children who was voicing their opinion on the situation.

“Your friend will get killed out there! He doesn’t have the training like my mother and father do!” The child yelled.

“My friend is as tough as them! Maybe even tougher! He can handle those Demons! Just wait and see!” Shippo yelled back defiantly. Surely with his new weapon in hand, Brent could save them! That would should this kid! He’ll be eating his words soon enough!

Around that time two adults came in; one was limping and bleeding badly. When they entered the room they saw their Lord and his son lying off to the side; still unconscious. One of the children ran over yelling the moment they realized who had walked in.

“MOM! DAD!” The same kid that had been arguing with Shippo was now running over to his parents. “Are you ok? What happened?!”

“That young man wearing the red shirt saved your father!”

“He…he did?” The little boy looked over to Shippo, but noticed him running for the door. “Where are you going? It’s dangerous!”

“I have to help Brent! He’s my responsibility!”

And before anyone could do anything the Fox Demon was out the door; running on all fours as fast as he could. All the fighting and shouting rang louder as Shippo exited the house. It was absolute chaos outside. Everywhere Ninjas were running and jumping around with Demons hot on their trails. Frantically, he scanned the area searching for his friend. Off in the distance Shippo heard several shots go off that sounded like the two Brent fired in the house. Sprinting toward the noise he shouted out Brent’s name several times. The response he got in return was not was he was expecting. From between two of the huts nearby he heard screaming…but the screams didn’t sound human…and still screaming were about five Demons running away from something. And then a thunderous battle roar reached Shippo’s ears.

“RRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!”

Shippo watched as Brent came running after the Demons screaming his head off at them looking utterly fierce. Stopping and raising his new weapon, holding it with both hands, Brent fired off five shots. Each one made their mark in a Demon’s back; sending them straight to the Netherworld. He stood there, chest heaving, and still looking full of fire. When he heard a small voice call out his name his look shot straight over to Shippo, and changed to worry.

“Shippo?! What are you doing?! Get out of here!”

As Brent’s focus was entirely on his little Fox friend he failed to notice a Demon sneaking up from behind him. Shippo saw him immediately and leaped into the air.

“FOX FIRE!”

Blue flames shot out from his hands and past Brent, who flinched off to the side, and consumed the Demon. Not missing the chance, Brent aims and fires, creating another disappearing act. When the flaming Demon disappeared Brent’s attention went right back to Shippo.

“I appreciate the help but you gotta get out of here!”

“Hey! If it weren’t for me that Demon would have nabbed you!”

“You distracted me in the first place!”

“Now you sound like Inuyasha being so ungrateful!”

“I SAID I APPRECIATE IT!” Brent remarked exasperatedly. 

When a scream filled the air the two of them stopped arguing immediately and ran to the source. A lone woman was injured and surrounded by several Demons, all Bats and Onis. 

“We have to save her!” Shippo squeaked.

“I got it! OVER HERE YOU BASTARDS!” 

Brent hastily began to fire missing half of his shots. It was hard to tell just how much he had pulled the trigger. All that mattered was saving everyone in the village. Even if he didn’t get them all he could at least drive them away. Shippo approached the woman as caring as ever.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes I’m fine…But your friend…”

Shippo looked over at Brent, who was scanning the area, and could tell something was off. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it though…

“Brent? Are YOU ok?”

“Yes I’m fine buddy. Stay here and watch her. I’m going to finish off these guys!” Not wishing to waste any more time Brent took off.

“Are you sure he’s ok?” The Ninja asked.

“He says he is…” Shippo heard another shot and a scream.

The gun-toting hero ran around the village, taunting the Demons and firing wildly, clearing out all that he could. Ninjas shouted their thanks as they ran to take cover and help the wounded. Soon, all that was left of the band of Demons was the same Bat who had led the Brothers. 

“Where is everyone?! You…you didn’t! How did you-“ The Bat started to back away looking frightened.

“I did. And the same is going to happen to you. You don’t attack a village and get away with it!” Brent took aim just as the Bat leaped into the air flapping his wings.

“I’ll be back! And next time you’ll pay with your life!” The Demon screamed as he began to fly away.

“Oh no you don’t…” Brent held the Tanegashima as steady as he could and pointed at the shrinking figure in the air…and then he pulled the trigger…The beam of pure white light cut through the air faster than an arrow, and penetrated the Bat’s chest. A silent look of surprise took over his reaction. The Bat plummeted toward the Eather, but never touched the ground as he disintegrated in mid-air. The attack was over. The village was safe now.

“Bulls-eye…” Brent muttered as he lowered his weapon.

A sudden cheer made itself known loudly from behind him. When he turned around the entire village, including Lord Genji and Hiro, were cheering and applauding him. Shippo stood out front and was doing the same, but suddenly realized what was wrong. Brent’s skin had grown incredibly pale…almost white!

“Brent! Are you ok?!”

“Yeah Shippo. I feel perfectly-“

Suddenly, Brent’s eyes rolled back, his legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground blacking out. Shippo, Lord Genji, and Hiro ran forward as gasps and murmurs filled the crowd.

“OH NO! BRENT!” Shippo screamed as he reached his friend and tried to shake him awake. Nothing. He was still breathing, yet out like a light.


	15. A Brief Encounter

Crickets were chirping as if they were talking to each other; carrying on several conversations all at once. Night had come for the Ninja Village, and after the events that day everyone was glad to be able to rest. Children were reunited with parents, the wounded were patched up and lying down, and things were finally simmering down.

One person, who hadn’t suffered any visible injuries, was waking up in a dimly lit room. His vision was blurred at first as it adjusted to the lack of light. He reached up to his eyes and gave them a quick rub. Then he heard a small voice next to him grow excited.

“BRENT! You’re awake! How are you feeling?”

Shippo ran over and looked up at him as he sat up groggily. Brent’s skin had returned to its former jubilant color.

“You gave us quite a scare! You passed out after taking care of all those Demons!”

When Brent’s vision was fully focused, and he gained his awareness he finally spoke looking entirely too worried.

“Is everyone else ok? Where are Lord Genji and Hiro?”

As if on cue, the two people Brent named had entered the room, and when they saw him they smiled.

“Good. You are well.” Genji stepped forward.

“We thought you had died until felt a heartbeat!” Hiro said as he kneeled down near Shippo.

“Lord Genji, is everyone else ok?” Brent looked up at him with sincere worry.

“Yes. Thanks to your efforts we only had to worry about tending to a few wounded people. No amount of gratitude can repay you. I am in your debt. You saved my life and everyone else’s.”

“I was just doing what needed to be done. Don’t worry about it.” Brent smiled and even blushes a little. 

For a moment they are all chatting happily with everyone at least once asking if Brent is alright. It was after answering the question for the umpteenth time that the door opens to the room with a worried villager panting heavily.

“Lord Genji! More Demons!” 

Everyone’s eyes popped wide open in shock as they all turned their heads to the villager. 

“Are they nearing the village?!” Lord Genji stood up looking worried.

“No my Lord, they’re flying overhead!”

The sound of quick footsteps threw everyone off for a moment until they noticed the source. Brent was already up, grabbing the Tanegashima, and heading toward the door. No one said a word as they all followed him and the villager. When they stepped outside the villager immediately pointed up. What they all saw frightened every last one of them. A large group of flying Demons, similar in the shape of worms, flew high above them all. But the truly disturbing part was where they were descending to…

The forest just behind the village…

“My Lord...What do we do?!” The villager was sweating as he thought back to earlier that day.

“I…I don’t know…We can’t handle that many!” Lord Genji was looking just as bothered.

“I’m going.” All the focus went from the Demons in the sky, and over to Brent.

“You can’t take on all of them! They’ll tear you apart!” Hiro protested.

“That’s suicide Brent! Let’s wait for Inuyasha and the others to show up!” Shippo proposed.

“And what? Wait to see if those things attack? No! After today I’m going to make sure NOTHING happens to this place.” Brent started to walk around the house as everyone pleaded with him.

“You only just woke up after passing out!”

“We don’t even know why you passed out!”

“Don’t be a fool!”

“It would be foolish to sit by and do nothing! Look, I’m not going to argue with any of you! I’m going to see what is going on and stop them if I can. Stay here and be ready just in case!” Brent gave them all an intense glare as he spoke. They all realized they wouldn’t be able to sway him from his decision.

“Then I’m coming with you! You need someone to watch your back!” Shippo said as he bravely stepped forward.

Brent almost started to argue with the Fox Child, but realized he did have a point. Shippo did save him after a Demon tried to sneak up behind him. With a resigned sigh Brent nodded.

“Alright Shippo, but you stay close. Don’t run off!”

A few hops later the little Fox is perched up on Brent’s shoulder. Responding with a confident nod he waves bye to the Ninjas as the two of them disappear into the forest.

“I don’t know if he’s brave or just foolish…” Lord Genji muttered as he, Hiro, and the villager see them off.

Had it not been for the moonlight Brent and Shippo would have been completely blind. As Brent carried them forward Shippo’s gaze moves up to the Demons in the sky again. These Demons seemed so familiar…where had he…and then it hit. All the hair on his bushy tail stood on end, and fear took hold of the Fox Child. He knew where these Demons came from.

“B-B-Brent! We should t-t-turn back!”

“Not a chance! We’ve got to find out what these monsters are doing here!”

“No! You d-d-don’t understand! These D-D-Demons belong to-“

Off in the distance two screams filled the midnight air…and one sounded like a child! The very moment this realization hit Brent he began to put all his worth into moving faster.

“WAAAAAH! Slow down!”

“If that’s one of the children from the village we gotta move quickly!”

Did one of the children sneak out? Was the child from another village? So many thoughts coursed through Brent’s mind, but never the thought of giving up. He would fight just as hard as he was forced to earlier that day if needed; whether he passed out or died trying.

Trees were beginning to clear up. The two friends could see the Demons trying to attack what looked like two children…but they were being protected by something. Then, a rather shrill voice rang out.

“STAFF OF TWO HEADS!”

When Brent and Shippo entered the clearing, the human was far more shocked than his little friend. A large, scaly, two headed beast was firing beams out of its mouths destroying anything that came near. A small green imp wielding a staff was shooting fire with it as though it were a flamethrower. And between the both of them was a little girl with long hair with part of it tied on the side of her head. What was going on? These Demons were protecting her…from other Demons?

“WATCH OUT BRENT!” Shippo screeched as a group of flying worm-like Demons came straight for them.

Pure white beams cut through the gaggle of attackers; instantly disintegrating them. 

“What the?! Who are you?!” The green imp yelled.

“Get these guys first!” Brent called back as Shippo threw his Fox Fire at a group behind them.

Between the two headed Demon, the imp, and Brent, the bloodthirsty fiends were dealt with quickly. Their shrieks and growls were silenced as they all disappeared from this world. When all was said and done the imp turned to his attention to the newcomers.

“We did not need your help! Everything was under control!” The high and shrill voice said rather condescendingly.

“Master Jaken! Be nice! These two really helped out! Thank you kind sir and little Fox!” The girl stood up and spoke sweetly with a warm smile.

“Wait a minute! You guys travel with-“

“LORD SESSHOMARU!” The little girl practically screamed with glee interrupting Shippo.

Brent turned around, and behind him was a man who stood slightly taller than him. Long white, straight, and flowing hair traveled down to his waist. What looked like a great puff of fur wrapped over his right shoulder. And over his left shoulder was a spiky guard of sorts. Upon a closer look, Brent noticed his entire left arm was missing. On his forehead there was a purple crescent moon, and on his cheeks were red pointed stripes. His clothes were white while a pad of black armor covered him from mid-chest to his upper legs. To say he looked intimidating would be an understatement. Shippo froze up with a whimper as Brent’s eyes grew wide.

“You’re that little Fox that travels with Inuyasha. And who are you? What business do you have here?” His voice was calm yet cold; straight to the point in delivery.

“Lord Sesshomaru! This man helped save us from those Demons!” The girl said as she walked forward; still smiling as though things were perfectly normal. They were for her at least.

“Is this true Jaken?” Even his gaze was cold…almost heartless.

“Yes M’Lord! Though I had everything under control! I NEVER would have asked a human for-“

“Silence.”

“Yes…M’Lord…” Jaken slouched and quickly hushed himself.

“I assume you are traveling with that Inuyasha…you wreak of his scent.” Sesshomaru showed a hint of disgust as he said this.

“I am traveling with him…Um…How do you know him?” Brent asked. An incredible sense of danger swelled in his chest; worse than what he felt in the presence of the Lizard Demon. This was not someone he wanted to mess with.

“That is none of your concern. Now leave. Rin, Jaken, let’s go.”

It was just as Sesshomaru was turning his back to Brent that a loud buzzing filled the air. While Brent raised his gun and looked around, Sesshomaru already had his eyes on the source. When he finally caught sight of what it was making the buzzing noise Brent only caught sight of a silhouette in the dim moonlight. It looked like a…

“Saimyosho.” Sesshomaru said matter of factly.

“What?” Brent was left clueless, but with Shippo shivering on his shoulder he knew it had to be trouble.

“So…he’s still after me…Come, we must keep moving.” Sesshomaru began to walk away with Jaken, Rin, and A-un following.

“Wait a minute. Who is after you? Maybe we can help!” Brent offered sincerely.

Shippo just was about to interject before Sesshomaru interrupted coldly.

“I will not accept help from my so-called little brother. Now. Leave, before I end your pathetic life.”

The last bit left Brent silent as he and Shippo watched them walk away; disappearing into the forest. Little brother? Was that guy talking about…

“That’s Inuyasha’s older brother…He’s a full-blooded Demon…” Shippo broke the silence.

“…Right…and uh…that…giant bug?” Brent’s heart was still pounding.

“It belongs to Naraku…so did those Demons that were after them…”

The moment he heard that name Brent’s heart beat even faster. Anger and fear welled up inside him all at once. Why was this? He knew what this Naraku guy had done to everyone else…but this feeling inside him…it went beyond that.

“Let’s get out of here…I don’t want to find anymore of those things knowing this…”

As ship sat on Brent’s shoulder Shippo noticed his friend’s hands shaking as they tightly gripped the Tanegashima. He could sense something was wrong. The look on Brent’s face didn’t hide it either. Shippo wasn’t sure if the look meant he was angry or thinking.

“Brent…Is everything alright?” Shippo asked cautiously.

“Yeah…I just…Let’s get some rest. We’ll look for Kagome and the others tomorrow.”


	16. Relieving Reunion

After the more than eventful day than yesterday both Shippo and Brent were relieved to wake up without being soaking wet, running for their lives, and coming across intimidating people. The little Fox was the first to wake; rubbing his big eyes and yawning with a good stretch. Over to his left Brent was still asleep and snoring lightly. He left his newly acquired weapon next to his mat last night. Shippo could still sense the tension within Brent after yesterday. It would be best if he let the human sleep. So, getting up and tiptoeing to the door, the Fox slipped out of the room and made his way outside. 

Everything outside was just as it was when they had first arrived. There weren’t as many Ninjas about since the fight had left some of them too injured to work. Shippo looked up to the sky and smiled as a light breeze ruffled his hair. Giant white puffy clouds floated among the pleasantly calming blue. 

“Good morning Shippo!” Hiro caught sight of the tiny Demon child and walked over.

“Hey Hiro!” Shippo’s grin was as big as ever.

“Where’s your friend?”

“Oh he’s still asleep. I figured he earned it.”

“So everything that happened in the forest was true?”

“Yeah. I think it struck a nerve in Brent.”

Hiro and his Father had been updated by Shippo. Brent had chosen to head straight to sleep, though no one could blame him. They all decided to not bother him with it.

“So what will you two do once he awakens?”

“We’re going to try and find our friends. They’ll be looking all over for us!”

“Master Hiro! Someone is approaching the village!” A female Ninja interrupted. She didn’t look worried at all.

When Hiro looked over he saw a small group of people. The one in front had extremely long white hair and wore red. That’s when Shippo ran forward.

“INUYASHA! KAGOME! SANGO! MIROKU!”

“Shippo! Boy are we so glad to see you!” Kagome rushed up to him and plucked him out of the air as he leapt into her arms.

“Where is Brent?” Sango asked as she looked around.

“Please tell me you two didn’t get separated!” Inuyasha said looking flustered.

“No! He’s fine! He’s just asleep. After yesterday-“

“Asleep this late again! When is he gonna learn? Where is he?!” Inuyasha started toward the large house that belonged to Genji.

“Inuyasha wait! Let me explain!” Shippo jumped out of Kagome’s arms as they all ran after the Half-Demon.

After questioning Hiro, who looked utterly baffled as the brashness of the Half-Demon, Inuyasha stormed into the room where Brent was asleep.

“Inuyasha don’t-“ Shippo warned quietly as the rest of the gang piled by the door.

“Hey lazy! Get your-“

It was right as Inuyasha kicked him that Brent bolted awake. And in what seemed a split second he grabbed his gun, causing it to glow, and wildly firing off three shots as he was startled awake. While everyone else shouted, Kirara growling with her fur on end, and hit the floor Inuyasha barely managed to dodge the beams of light.

“WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?!” Inuyasha said from the floor. After dodging the last shot he fell to his back.

“Inuyasha?! Guys?!” Brent finally realized who was waking him, and then realized what he’d almost done. “Oh god…Inuyasha I’m sorry!” He immediately put his weapon down, causing the glow to vanish, but Inuyasha was quickly back on his feet…and furious.

“ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?! WHAT IS THAT THING?! GIMME THAT!”

“Wh-HEY!” 

Before Brent could do anything the gun was snatched up and Inuyasha began looking over it.

“How do you work this thing?”

After fiddling around with it for a bit his finger found the trigger…

“Inuyasha DON’T!” Brent reached out to grab it and then…

…Click…Nothing happened…

“What’s going on?” Miroku asked as he and the others still lay on the floor.

Everyone but Shippo was entirely in the dark. Had Brent just fired that weapon only for it to fail when Inuyasha used it? What was going on?

“Uh…Ok…I guess it only works for me…” Brent said as he gently took the gun from his Half-Demon friend.

“Is that a gun?” Kagome asked as she dusted off her skirt.

“I’ve heard about those. They’re supposed to fire a ball of metal. But that…” Sango had walked up and was inspecting it. “Where did you get this? And how does it work?” 

“He got it from here! A lot happened yesterday while we were separated.” Shippo received some warm attention from Kirara as she nuzzled against him mewling.

“I think it’s best if we just sit down and-“ Brent couldn’t finish as Lord Genji walked in looking upset.

“What is going on here?! Who dares intrude into my home?!”

Brent rushed forward to calm his host down. “I’m sorry. Please forgive my friend here. He has no manners or common sense. That’s why there are so many of us to keep an eye on him.”

“Wha?! You little ingrate!” Inuyasha snarled.

“These are the people Shippo and I were separated from.” Brent stepped aside to introduce them all. After everyone had properly shown their thanks and been introduced they all took a seat. “Well Shippo, do you want to start it or should I?”

The Fox child hopped up to his feet with great vigor and excitedly replied. “I’ll start! I don’t remember falling into the river, but when we woke up we were soaking wet, and had been found by three Demons!”

Shippo and Brent take turns explaining everything that went on; even Lord Genji and Hiro get a few words in along with some praises. The praises make both of the village saviors blush a little. Shippo dances around attempting to animate the story for everyone whenever he tells it. Upon the moment of Sesshomaru’s mention Brent notices the sneer on Inuyasha’s face. Despite this they continue telling their story. With the rest of the group caught up on previous events they looked rather surprised; even Inuyasha.

“You saved the entire village?” Sango looked utterly surprised.

“That’s incredible! I’m so proud of you two!” Kagome smiled greatly.

“Yeah…Gotta say I’m surprised. Didn’t think you had it in ya.” Inuyasha said with wide eyes.

“Shippo, you say that Brent collapsed after all of the Demons were disposed of.” Miroku seemed more interested in his ally’s health once the story was done.

“Yeah. We never really had a moment to figure it out.”

“When we brought him into this same room he was incredibly pale. His skin had almost no color.” Lord Genji interjected.

“We were all worried. He hadn’t suffered any injuries from those Demons so naturally we were baffled.” Hiro said.

Miroku took a moment to ponder as he held his chin. After perusing the facts given to him he looked to Brent. “Tell me Brent. When you tried to use that weapon, the first time, it did nothing. Correct?”

“That’s right. I thought it might have been loaded. Turned out I was wrong.”

“I see. I noticed earlier that as Inuyasha tried to wake you the metal on it was glowing white.”

“Yeah! It was! It was glowing just like the shard in your chest!” Kagome said as she was beginning to understand where Miroku was going.

“Brent, please pick up the weapon.” Miroku asked politely.

The Tanegashima was sitting just to Brent’s right between him and Shippo. The moment Brent’s hand touched it all the metal was filled with the brilliant white glow. A collective of surprised murmurs filled the room.

“When Inuyasha grabbed that weapon earlier it did not glow. And all we heard was that clicking sound when he tried to use it. But as you all can plainly see, as Brent holds it, it is filled with a pure energy. And I think I know what’s causing it. Yesterday, when you were facing those Demon Brothers, what was going through your mind?” Miroku focused entirely on Brent.

The sudden attention had left him a little ansty, but Brent maintained his composure and did his best to recall the event. “Well…I had told Shippo to get behind me, and all the children from the village were behind him. They were screaming…crying…Shippo was beyond worried and frightened, no offense little man. And all I had was the Tanto. I could barely fight that Bat before. That…sinking feeling, you know, that feeling you get when you know things are taking a turn for the worse? It filled my chest. And…I was just hoping…wishing that something or someone would help us. I was ready to die to protect Shippo and those kids. My life didn’t matter…I just wanted a way to protect them.”

Miroku smiled and nodded. “Just as I thought.”

“It was the shard wasn’t it Miroku?” Sango asked as Kirara mewled in her lap.

“What is this shard that you’re talking about?” Lord Genji asked.

“Brent has a shard of the Shikon Jewel embedded in his chest. It saved his life.” The moment Kagome mentioned the Jewel both Lord Genji and his son snapped their gaze to the hero of their village.

“A shard of the Jewel of Four Souls resides within you?” Hiro looked completely baffled.

“It’s true. And it is that same shard that has granted him the ability to use that weapon in an unconventional manner.” Miroku answered in place of Brent.

“Ok, but that doesn’t explain why he passed out!” Inuyasha’s point had everyone looking at Miroku now.

“Actually it does. I won’t go into detail about the Jewel itself, but consider this. The four souls that the Jewel contains balance each other. You cannot have one without the other. Just as there is life, there is death. One cannot exist without the other. When Brent was confronted with a fight that was most certainly going to end terribly he did what any other person in this world would do. He began to hope and wish for a way out. He was worried for the safety everyone else and ready to put his own life on the line even if it meant he had to die. The Jewel Shard heard his plea, and granted him this awesome power. But it came at a cost. While it gave him the power to bring death to his enemies and those that wished to harm the innocent, it is that same power that hurts him. In order to take the lives of his foes, he himself must give his own life. Thus maintaining the balance of life and death. I believe that with every time you used that weapon you were expelling your own life force. How did you feel when the fighting was done?” Miroku had gone back into serious mode as he waited for Brent to answer.

“Um…At first I felt fine. A little winded from the running…but then suddenly I felt…well…drained. Beyond exhausted. Before I knew it everything went black, and I woke up later that night.”

“I must caution you Brent. What has been given to you isn’t just power, but responsibility as well. You must control your use of it just as I do with my Wind Tunnel. If you grow careless it could kill you.”

“So…basically I’m my own rechargeable battery...” Brent was looking at his glowing firearm.

“Yes. Brent, please be careful with it. I don’t want to see you get hurt again.” Kagome eyed him with the utmost sincerity and worry.

“You’ll be able to defend yourself with greater ease now. Just be wary.” Sango too looked at him with worry.

“I’ll be careful. Promise.” Brent smiled, albeit a bit awkwardly.

“Sure glad you got that thing now. I don’t have to fight so hard now.”

“Inuyasha! We all need to be fighting as hard as we can!” Kagome glared at the Half-Demon after his insensitive remark. “And besides you promised to help protect him!”

“Yeah I did! But now it just makes things easier with him having that thing is all I’m saying!” Inuyasha recoiled a bit.

“You still need to fight like you were before!” Kagome maintained her glare as Inuyasha filled with regret with what he said.

“Don’t worry Brent. I’ll help keep an eye on you.” Shippo looked up at him with a smile.

Brent chuckled and smiled back. “Thanks little man.” He reached down and ruffled Shippo’s hair a little.

“So was that everything? You saved the village, passed out, then saw Sesshomaru in the forest? What were those Demons after him for?” Inuyasha asked bluntly.

Both Brent and Shippo perked up realizing they had forgotten one tiny, but incredibly important detail. Eyeing each other for a moment, neither one spoke when they didn’t know who should tell them.

“What are those looks for? Spit it out!” Inuyasha was quickly becoming impatient.

“Naraku…Those Demons belonged to Naraku…” Brent finally said.

It almost seemed like Inuyasha’s, Kagome’s, Miroku’s, and Sango’s eyes were going to pop out of their heads the second they heard that name.

“Was he after Sesshomaru?”

“Why would he be?”

“Was Naraku anywhere nearby?!”

“We haven’t seen him in so long since that last fight. He was beat up pretty badly.”

“Even Naraku couldn’t have recovered that quickly.”

The four of them were suddenly abuzz with questions and guesses. Some were thrown at Shippo and Brent, but interrupted by someone else. Neither of them could answer before one another question was asked. Brent decided to get their attention to tell them the last detail.

“Guy guys! There’s one more thing.” The room grew quiet quickly. “After Shippo and I took care of those Demons there was this giant bee flying away. What was it called?” Brent looked down to Shippo.

“It was a Saimyosho!” Shippo replied.

“Naraku will know about your presence here. If he finds out you have a Jewel Shard…” Sango didn’t want to finish.

“He’s not going to find out! And he’s not going to lay a hand on Brent!” Inuyasha was up on his feet. 

“And just a minute ago you were saying you didn’t have fight as hard…” Kagome said to herself looking irritated.

Brent was starting to worry now. As the others continued to talk he zoned out and became engrossed in his own thoughts. Naraku…the name itself sounded menacing enough. And yet whenever he heard it, or even thought of it, his emotions began to stir up. Anger, fear, worry, confusion. This Demon cursed the men in Miroku’s family, destroyed Sango’s home and currently has her brother, and framed Inuyasha. As he thought about the last part he started to remember some details Kagome had given him…that happened fifty years ago…and this Naraku was still alive! And on the run! Brent looked around at all of his friends as they talked amongst each other. Their lips moved, but he heard nothing. His mind was far too preoccupied with the dangers now at hand. Naraku wouldn’t be able to find out about the Jewel Shard in his chest…that giant bug couldn’t be smart enough to tell that…The same sinking-feeling from yesterday began to swell in his chest, his heart sped up slightly, and his mind raced. From bad to worse is the only way he felt about things right now.


	17. The Quick and the Quick-Witted

The mountains in the distance filled the horizon as the sun shone down upon its majesty. Craggy peaks, steep falls, and scatter flora lined them creating a scene of beauty, and homes for the beings that chose to dwell there. Nearby another river coursed through the area. As Inuyasha and the others approached they were relieved to see it was very shallow. A drop of merely a few feet sat below the bridge; allowing for a moderate splash from anyone who should fall in. 

As they left the Ninja village earlier Brent and Shippo were swarmed with a gratuitous overflow of thanks. Children hugged at Brent’s legs as Shippo tried to shake people’s hands. It would have been chaotic had Inuyasha not snapped at them for slowing them down. As Lord Genji and Hiro waved them off, they told Brent to take care of the weapon and wished them all good luck in their journey.

The Tanegashima now had a sling attached to it thanks to some quick work from the Ninjas. It rested on Brent’s back as the sling ran across his chest. His Tanto exposed with his shirt tucked behind the hilt. Now that a better weapon had been acquired Brent was a little more confident in his ability to fight.

Upon reaching the bridge- “HOLD IT!”- Brent startled everyone a little as he carefully walked closer. While he eyed the surrounding area he removed Tanny, the name he’d given his new weapon, from his back. As the metal filled with light Inuyasha began to laugh.

“What are you doing? There’s no one around here! Relax.”

“Look after yesterday I’m not taking chances. Better safe than sorry. That’s how I play.” Brent replied.

“I’m not picking up any scents around here…at least…” Inuyasha began to sniff the air and stepped in front of Brent.

“Come on Brent. Let’s just keep moving.” Kagome crossed the bridge first with Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Kirara right behind her.

“Wait a minute guys…I think I do smell something…” Inuyasha had his nose still in the air.

“What is it? Another Demon? Did Setsuko forget to cover her scent?” Brent was just passing Inuyasha and stopped in front of him; his gaze darting everywhere. The second his back was turned…

“RRRAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHH!” Inuyasha roared and grabbed Brent’s shoulders causing him to jump and stumble forward. 

“DAAAAAAAAAH!!!...DAMN IT INUYASHA!!!”

“HAHAHAHAHAHA! I can’t believe you fell for that! Wait a minute…now I really am picking up a-”

“INUYASHA!” Kagome shouted angrily.

Inuyasha and Brent both looked at her in surprise before she yelled again.

“SIT BOY!”

Inuyasha now regretted scaring Brent. The beads around his neck filled with a white light as he slammed down into the bridge. As several of the boards broke from the sheer force, Inuyasha fell through the hole with a shout and splashed into the river.

“Yeah. That jerk wants me to trust him and yet he goes and frikkin’ scares me like that. Maybe the river will wash away some of his stupidity!” Brent walked over toward the others.

“Sadly he can be pretty hard-headed…” Sango sighed.

“He’s just gonna play the victim once he dries off…” Shippo rolls his eyes.

“Whether he thinks he’s a victim or not he deserved it! Inuyasha shouldn’t have scared Brent like that!” Kagome crossed her arms in a huff.

“Guys I think we have a visitor…” Miroku was looking up the path ahead.

As Brent joined them he looked up the path to a highly unusual sight. A tornado. What looked like a man-sized tornado was coming straight for them at an alarming speed. Everyone didn’t seem bothered by this, but Brent was starting to panic as it came at them head-on. 

“Guys…what is…” Brent started as he looked between all of them. The miniature tornado was almost on them. Then Brent noticed its path…it was heading toward Kagome! “WATCH OUT!”

“EEK!” Kagome shouted as Brent dove toward her, grabbed her, and tried to shield her. Brent had expected to be thrown into the air, but was shocked to hear someone speak.

“What are you doing with my Kagome?!”

Rolling to his back, Brent looked up to see a man standing before him. He had long black hair tied in a ponytail, a sword at his side, sharp blue eyes, wore bits of fur and armor, and had an unpleasant scowl on his face.

“Who is this guy?” The man asked as he looked at Kagome.

“Oh hi Koga!” Kagome took his hand as she was helped up. “This is Brent. He’s from my time!”

“What…what the…where did the tornado go?!” Brent looked around confused as he still lay on the ground.

“That tornado was me.” Koga smiled smugly.

“What?!” Brent looked more confused than ever.

“Koga has a Jewel Shard in each leg. He can run and move incredibly fast!” Kagome said.

“Right…wait…How is it he can do that when I can’t do much else with just one?” 

“The Shards have stronger effects on Demons.”

“You’re lookin’ at the leader of the Wolf Demon tribe kid.” Koga wore the same smug grin.

“Oooooook…Well how about you give me a hand up?” Brent sat up and offered his hand.

“No way. You smell like that mutt Inuyasha.”

“Excuse me?!” Brent looked at him incredulously.

“Koga be nice! Brent has had a rough time ever since he got here!” Koga crossed his arms as Kagome pleaded with him.

“I do not want that filthy stench on me.” Koga looked away as Brent got to his feet and dusted himself off.

“What is it with you canine-types? They say dog is man’s best friend but so far I’ve had one threaten my life, one scare the bajesus out of me, and now you just being a flat out jerk!”

“I’m not a stupid dog. I’m a wolf!” 

“Oh but you still are related! I bet you still roll around in some filthy things like a dog does!”

“Can’t say I didn’t see this coming…” Sango said quietly.

“With how Brent reacted with Inuyasha the first time they met this is no surprise…” Miroku responded.

After that last remark Brent tried to walk away, but Koga zipped right in front of him looking irritated.

“I’m not like one of those stupid mutts! You got that?! I think you owe me an apology!”

“An apology for what? What do you want me say?” Brent raised an eyebrow.

“I’m sorry for saying you smell like a mutt!” Koga leaned in with a sneer.

“Apology accepted. Thank you.” Brent walked past without a second thought.

“You’re wel-…HEY WAIT A MINUTE!!!” Koga turned back and started to approach him with clenched fists.

“Boys will you please-“ Kagome was quickly drowned out.

“That’s not what I meant to say!” Koga roared.

“Not my fault you were dumb enough to fall for that.” Brent said with a smile. He was laughing inside. That felt rather good even if it was easy.

“Gotta hand it to Brent that was pretty funny!” Shippo couldn’t help but chuckle. Even Kirara seemed to be laughing.

“If I hadn’t made a promise to Kagome I’d eat you alive right-“ Koga was cut off as he had to suddenly dance around three beams of light fired at his feet. Everyone, including the Wolf Demon, was shocked at the sudden speed that Brent displayed.

Brent had quickly gone from smiling to solemn and fierce; his weapon still aimed at Koga’s feet. Scorch marks were left where the beams had hit the soil. “Listen, Koga was it? I have had a rough week here. I’ve been nearly bitten in half, choked, almost had my soul ripped from my body, and dealt with more of you Demon types than I care to count. So, on those notes, if you threaten to eat me you better do it before I shoot you. That is your ONE and ONLY warning wolfboy. And for the record. I’m not a kid. Now back off.” 

“Brent calm down! Koga won’t hurt you! He’s on our-“ Kagome was interrupted once again as her gun-wielding friend spoke.

“Kagome I don’t want to hear it! The only Demons here I trust are Shippo and Kirara, and that’s because he’s just a child and Sango can control Kirara! No offense buddy.” Shippo knew Brent meant no harm by it, but he couldn’t help looking away a little. Kirara cocked her head to the side. “Don’t tell me to trust Inuyasha, this guy, or anyone else who is a DEMON. You may look human Koga…but I’m not going to let my guard down for that.”

“Brent…” Kagome was worried this would happen. But how could she blame him? His experiences have been nothing but fights for survival.

“Fine. I’ll leave you alone. But let me warn you human. You better not be the cause of my Kagome getting hurt. I plan on marrying her and if she dies because you-“

“YOUR Kagome? What? Are you claiming her like some piece of property? That’s not how things work!”

“She’s the love of my life and if you get her killed I’ll tear you apart!”

“Oh make my day wolfboy! PLEASE make my day!” Brent raised Tanny up and aimed directly at the Wolf Demon. Koga sneered as he readied to run forward.

“THAT’S ENOUGH!” Kagome had finally grown weary of the fighting and stepped between them. “Koga! Just leave him alone! Brent! You need to chill out and put your gun down! Now, both of you apologize!”

The Human and the Demon stared each other down as everyone watched quietly. Brent didn’t like upsetting Kagome. Of all the people here, he knew that she at least cared the most about his well being. Lowering his weapon and slinging it on his back he took a deep breath and tried his best.

“Koga…I’m sorry.” Brent didn’t look happy about, but he at least tried to sound somewhat sincere.

“Thanks. That was all I wanted.” Koga smiled and turned away to leave.

“Wait a sec! Where’s my apology?!”

“I already gave you one. Or did you forget? I’ll see you later Kagome! I’ll be in the area if you need anything! Glad I caught your scent earlier!” 

“HEY DON’T YOU-“ 

Koga was already speeding off the way he came looking like the miniature tornado. Brent was fuming as he watched the arrogant Wolf Demon disappear.

“You know that creep?! Please tell me you don’t want to marry him! How do you trust him?! He’s a DEMON!” 

“He’s saved my life and Inuyasha’s before! And no I don’t plan on marrying him! He’s just…he just really likes me.”

“He did kidnap you, and his wolves almost ate us, but he did stop all that…” Shippo said idly.

“HE WHAT?!” Brent practically screamed. “Kagome, you are CRAZY for trusting these Demons! They could pull a 180 any second!”

“Inuyasha and Koga wouldn’t hurt us! I swear on it!”

“I play better safe than sorry. No way I’m putting my trust into them. You guys, yes. Them? No. Not after Inuyasha’s older brother…what’s his name…threatened my life. Even after Shippo and I helped saved that girl and his little minion!”

“Wait, Sesshomaru threatened you?” Sango stayed calm despite Brent’s ranting.

“Yeah! He was so incredibly grateful for us helping he still threatened us! You know I was told Japan had some weird things to experience, but this? Not what I had in mind!” Brent started to walk off leaving everyone rather speechless for a moment.

“I don’t think he’s ever going to get past what that Lizard Demon did to him.” Sango watched worriedly.

“We just need to show him that Inuyasha and Koga can be trusted!” Kagome said optimistically.

“That’s far easier said than done. Just talking to him won’t get the point across sadly. This will take action and we can’t force something like that.” Miroku stood there contemplating.

“KAGOME!” Inuyasha’s voice boomed as he came walking up. “We’re gonna have a little talk about-“

“Sit boy.”

“GYEEEEAAAAAHH!!!”

The Half-Demon slammed into the ground as Kagome huffed and walked away towards Brent.

“You came at the worst possible moment Inuyasha.” Shippo lamented.

“What… happened…” Inuyasha asked even though he lay on the ground looking dazed.

“Koga happened…And we just learned that Brent still doesn’t trust you…and certainly not Koga…” Sango was looking in the direction that Kagome and Brent went.

“What? Mmmph…What happened?” Inuyasha held his head as he got to his feet.

“We’ll explain along the way. For now…it would be best to leave our new friend alone…” Miroku said.


	18. A Despicable Deal

Those damned Imps! Setsuko couldn’t get her mind off of their failure the previous day. They were supposed to go after Brent, and yet they tried attacking all of his friends at the same time! Thanks to their inability to follow simple instruction that foul human was lost to the current of the river. On top of that, the Half-Demon with the massive sword chased after her. She had fortunately already covered her scent so escaping was relatively easy. Being back to square one however was maddening. All trace of Brent was lost; there was no telling how far the river had taken him or even which direction.

Every last one of the Imps was slain by her. Either they met her fangs or were crushed by her grip. Pitiful, pathetic little things. She never should have considered using them, and she won’t in the future.

It was after those worthless vermin were gone that she noticed a strange buzzing sound nearby…When she looked up she could see several large insects above. Why did she feel like they were watching her? Never did they close in…They hovered above her out of her reach. No matter. If they didn’t plan on attacking then there was no need to exert energy to kill them. The little beasts looked poisonous anyway. The important thing right now was to try and pick up the trail to find that damned human. Of course, she would have to try and concoct a new scheme to get him alone…

Having found her way back to the river Setsuko decided to take the left fork; which was in fact the wrong way. Once she’d chosen her path she noticed something…it had grown quiet aside from the raging river below. Setsuko looked to the sky…the bees were gone…This was a relief to her; she had been growing weary of hearing that incessant buzzing. For the rest of the day she followed the river’s path and found no sign of anything. The Lizard Demon cursed her luck, as well as those meddling friends of Brent’s. The decision to search the entire night had crossed her mind, but she knew this would on drain her of energy. It was difficult, but she managed to fall asleep. Setsuko’s dreams were filled with wonderful images…at least for a Demon. She saw herself killing her Brother’s murderer in many different ways. Choking him to death with her tongue, ripping his throat out with her fangs, tearing his still beating heart out of his chest and eating it in front of him. His blood…she swore the taste in her mouth was real…and it was more delicious than any other human’s she’d had the pleasure to taste. Oh how she wished she could perform these executions and see the life in his eyes fade away!

Two things awoke the Lizard Demon the following morning. The first was the sudden ray of sunlight that had found its way to her closed eyes after a gust of wind moved the foliage of the tree she had been sleeping in. The second was the sound of the buzzing. The same buzzing that came from those insects she saw yesterday. Only this time the sound was far more prominent...

Not long after noticing her stalkers had returned, and she had leapt down the ground, there was a great gust of wind that caused her ponytail to wave crazily. Setsuko shielded her eyes as bits of the earth were kicked up and blown around. When the gusts finally subsided, and she brought her arms down, a woman stood before her. It was clear this stranger was a Demon.

 

Red eyes, as bright as rubies, stared her down. In her right hand she held a hand-fan. She was adorned in a white and purple kimono. The woman’s hair was put into a short tail in the back and had a couple feathers protruding from the band.

“Are you the Lizard Demon Setsuko?” The woman asked.

“Yes. What do you want?” Setsuko maintained her distance as she eyed the woman warily.

“I have been sent to bring you a proposition.” 

“And who is it that sent you?”

“You need not worry yourself with that. I merely am-“

“I don’t intend to make a deal with anyone unless I know who is at the source of it!” Setsuko wasn’t ready to put any trust into her.

“You are after a human are you not? My Master can lead you to him, and his proposition will only aid you in your hunt.”

How did this Demon know that she was after a human? What could possibly have landed this opportunity for aid from an unknown individual? This was almost too good to be true…

“Take me to your Master. I will not accept this proposal otherwise! And before we go any further…what is your name?”

“I am Kagura the Wind Sorceress. And if you insist on meeting my Master then I suppose I have no choice.” Kagura wore a look of disdain as she picked a feather from her hair. 

The feather grows in size to that of a canoe. Stepping into it gently, Kagura kneels and takes her seat as she looks up at Setsuko. 

“Climb on.”

If this were true then Setsuko would be thankful for the tremendous luck that had fallen upon her. Though if things were to turn sour she always had her methods of escape; she felt confident in her abilities. The decision was made; Setsuko walked over to the canoe-sized feather and took a seat. Kagura waves her paper fan and a gust of wind lifts them into the air effortlessly. They soared high into the sky with the wind carrying them gently. The Lizard Demon had never been this far up before; not even on a mountain. She could see both paths of the river. They separated a great distance, and Setsuko was relieved at the thought of being shown the way to find Brent by her unknown aid.

For the duration of the flight neither Kagura nor Setsuko spoke a word. The only sound to reach their ears were the gentle gusts of wind going by, and the horde of large insects following them. The Lizard Demon’s heart was racing as she flew through the air. She wanted this to work after admitting to herself she had no idea how to track Brent down. It had taken a lot of willpower to be smarter with her decision and not accept whatever this deal was on the spot. Any time you were going to make a deal you had to know who you are dealing with. 

The trip appeared to move faster than Setsuko anticipated as she realized the feather was slowly descending back to the earth below. They were landing in some mountain range…Setsuko had never been this far before. Now completely oblivious as to where they were she had no choice but to follow this Kagura. Had the right choice been made? She would find out soon enough.

The feather gently landed near an opening that leads deep into the mountains. After stepping of the feather it changed back to its smaller size in a puff of smoke. Kagura grabbed it out of the air and placed it back into her hair.

“Follow me.” The Wind Sorceress never bothered to look back as she entered the cave.

The large bees remained outside as Setsuko followed the woman. Finally, she wouldn’t have to endure that endless buzzing again. The tunnel became darker as they walked along as the sunlight behind them grew farther away. It didn’t seem like they had walked for that long, but Kagura had stopped and was bowing her head. The tunnel had opened into a larger room; so dark it was that Setsuko couldn’t tell how large it was. 

“I have brought the Lizard Demon. She demanded to speak with you.” Kagura said as she looked up.

“I see. Very well. Was Kagura able to tell you of my proposition Setsuko?” That voice…it was utterly menacing…cold and commanding…

“No. I had wished to hear it directly from the person who is claiming to be able to aid me. Who are you? Show yourself!” Setsuko was determined to look strong in front of whoever was speaking even if she couldn’t see them.

“I will not show myself to you. My body is currently healing from a battle I have suffered in. Though, I will give you my name. I am Naraku.”

“Well Naraku, before we take this further…How did you know my name and who I am after?” Setsuko asked rather indignantly.

“Ah yes. I suppose it is unnerving that I know such information. Those insects you saw earlier are Saimyosho. They follow my command and act as my eyes and ears when I need them to. But now you wonder, ‘Why were they watching me?’ It seems you have met the very people who have put me into the current that I am in. Among those people is the one the human you so desperately wish to kill. He was seen just last night as some of my minions tried to capture someone that I am after. This is why you now stand before me. Our prey is together now in a single group, and to that end I seek to make a deal with you. What say you?”

Setsuko stood there quietly for a moment as she thought. Things were making sense. It was Brent’s friends that had done such damage to Naraku. To barely survive simply as she was escaping after her first attempt to kill the human she couldn’t imagine what it would be like to try and fight them all head-on; especially with that Half-Demon wielding such a mighty sword.

“What is it you are proposing?” The Lizard Demon looked quizzical.

“I am an amalgamation of many Demons. They create my body and give me my abilities. I will offer to you their aid in fighting Inuyasha and his friends while you are able to kill that human. With any luck you will be able to rid me of them as well.”

“Is Inuyasha the Half-Demon?”

“Yes. Beware his Tetsaiga. It has the power to kill 100 Demons in a single stroke. His allies are not to be underestimated either. The Monk Miroku has a Wind Tunnel in his hand that will devour anything in front of it, never to be seen again. Sango is a Demonslayer with many weapons at her disposal. And Kagome is the young woman who can fire Sacred Arrows.”

“Yes. I have met her power before. My arm was destroyed, but as you can see…” Setsuko held up the arm that had grown back with a smile.

“There is one more thing you should know. The human you wish to kill, Brent, has acquired some new power of his own. If what my Saimyosho tell me is true, then he is as strong as Kagome. He has a weapon now that can produce a similar effect to her arrows, yet he is able to shoot much faster than she can.”

“I’m not going to let that stop me. He killed my older brother and will pay with his own life!” The Lizard Demon clenched her fists in anger.

“Then it is settled. Kagura will take you to where they are. The Demon I have chosen to help you will be following. Should you need further assistance my Saimyosho will come to me. There is little I can do myself with my destroyed body.”

“Thank you Naraku. Hopefully, this will be finished before the end of the day.” Setsuko grinned maliciously.

“Go now, and destroy Inuyasha and his friends. Kagura show our friend the way.”

“Yes Naraku.” Kagura said with a hint of disdain.

The two women walked out of the cave and back into the nearly blinding sunlight. Saimyosho still hung in the air; their buzzing still obnoxiously loud. 

“We will only need a few of you. The rest may leave.” Kagura commanded to the large swarm.

Again she removed a feather from her hair and made the flying feather as she had earlier. The moment they were both on the feather they soared into the air for the second time that day. This time however, Setsuko was smiling. Anxiousness swelled inside her as her goal now grew closer with each passing second. This Demon would help her get Brent all to herself, and he would die by her hand. Setsuko’s brother had a taste of his blood before he was killed, and she had heard him growl in pleasure from the taste. Soon, it would be her turn to taste his blood.


	19. A Death of Cold

“I’m sorry. Alright?!”

“Just like any child who needs to be told to apologize you need to MEAN IT Inuyasha. You’re only apologizing because Kagome told you to.”

“Will you give me a break?! I’m trying here!”

Inuyasha was still slightly wet from his dip in the river earlier. The warm rays of the sun had almost finished their job as Brent and Inuyasha argued.

“Not exactly trying if it’s forced.” Brent rolled his eyes as the group walked along.

“I hate to say it Brent, but this is the best you’ll get out of Inuyasha.” Sango said.

“He’s too thickheaded to get why he needs to apologize.” Shippo squeaked quietly.

“I heard that ya little runt!” Inuyasha raised a fist threateningly making Shippo wail in anticipation.

“Inuyasha!” Kagome spoke threateningly.

After panicking momentarily, the Half-Demon changes his tune and settles down as he crosses his arms in the large sleeves of his clothing.

“You know very well why you need to apologize to Brent! So stop antagonizing and start behaving properly!” Kagome wasn’t having any more of the fighting.

All Inuyasha did was grumble as he was scolded. While Brent and Kagome had been leading the way, the others had informed Inuyasha of what had happened while the river swept him away momentarily. He wasn’t surprised that Brent hadn’t gotten along with Koga, but seemed to be unable to grasp that he himself was still not trusted. He’s done nothing but try to help the ungrateful human! Though he did have to admit choosing to give him a scare didn’t make things better. 

“Forget it Kagome. He’s not going say sorry. Let’s just keep moving.” Brent sped up a little moving ahead of everyone else.

Not too far away, hidden in the nearby woods, Setsuko was peering through the trees with a most sinister smile. There he was…She was the weapon attached to Brent’s back. A weapon seen by her and her brother before. Whether he could use it or not Setsuko wasn’t worried. 

“Is he the one you are after?” A deep growly voice rumbled behind the Lizard Demon.

“That is him. The one at the front. Heed me carefully. Do whatever is necessary to get him alone and ALIVE. His life belongs to me! Do what you wish with the others. Naraku wants them all dead.”

“As you wish, Setsuko.”

A blur of blue and white rushed past her. The surrounding trees and foliage were suddenly iced over with a thin layer of ice in this Demon’s wake. Now all Setsuko had to do was wait…

“Brent will you slow down! You don’t need to be getting ahead!”

“Inuyasha, I want to get home alright! The faster we find Hisao, the better!”

With one great bounding leap the white-haired Demon landed in front of him and stopped him. “Remember what I said when you first got here?”

“Not really. I couldn’t understand it since I didn’t have the jewel inside me.” Brent sneered.

“If you go off alone you’ll get yourself-“

A great thud behind Inuyasha cut him off. There were far too few seconds to react to what happened next. He looked back into a gaping mouth as a roar hit him and Brent head-on.

“WATCH OUT!”

Inuyasha grabbed Brent and only just dodged out of the way as a hail of razor sharp icicles came from the gaping mouth. Kagome and the others ducked to the sides as the deadly ice shot past them. After everyone avoiding being impaled Brent was the last one to get a good look at what was trying to attack them. It left him speechless as his eyes widened. What he saw was as if a nightmare had entered the real world from his mind.

The Demon walked on four legs that were massive in size. Terrifyingly sharp claws extended from its paws. White and blue colorations covered its body giving a false sense of pleasance. This…thing…resembled no animal Brent had ever seen nor heard of. It merely looked nothing short of a beast with gnarled tusk-like fangs protruding from its lower jaw. Its eyes were pure white, but bled the vibe of ominous. White mist puffed out with every breath, and its very presence brought a chill to the air. No muzzle adorned its head. No tail protruded from its backside.

“Give me the young man or die.” It seemed to speak without moving its mouth. 

“You’re one of Naraku’s Demons…that stench is unmistakable…” Inuyasha stood in front of Brent, withdrew his Tetsaiga, and readied to fight. “You’re not taking him. So either leave now or die by my hand like the rest of Naraku’s Demons!”

Brent’s heart was beating a mile a minute now. This thing belonged to Naraku?! And Inuyasha…he didn’t give a second thought to protecting him…

“Then it is you who shall perish!”

The Ice Beast surged forward with surprising speed and tackled Inuyasha; carrying him right in Brent. Both of them grunted in pain as they were knocked off their feet and thrown through the air.

“Inuyasha!” Kagome yelled.

“Brent!” Shippo squeaked.

Kirara leaped forward and changed to her larger form; flames circling her as she roared in anger. Shippo and Kagome ran over to where their friends landed as Miroku and Sango stepped forward with the large feline. The Monk went straight for his Wind Tunnel as the beads covering his hand unwrapped.

“Miroku don’t! Saimyosho!” Sango motioned to the sky behind the Ice Beast and sure enough the giant bees floated by; waiting to sacrifice themselves and poison the Monk.

“Damn!” The Monk yelled.

Sango threw her weapon with a shout. The oversized boomerang cut through the air towards the Ice Beast, but it never struck its target. Evading to the side, the Demon let the weapon soar past him as he charged straight for Sango and Miroku.

Inuyasha and Brent had only just gotten back on their feet when they saw the Beast making its attack. The both of them took action immediately. Brent aimed Tanny and began to fire off beams of light; taking care to not go overboard. Inuyasha leaped into the air with his sword raised over his head. With deft and swift movements from the Demon, every blast from Brent missed, and the powerful blow meant to strike it only hit the hardened earth. Kirara roared as she charged straight at the attacker. The two demonic Beasts clashed and began snapping and clawing at each other. With the distraction from Kirara, Sango caught her Hiraikotsu as it returned; the force caused her to slide back several feet but she did not falter. Already she was ready to throw it again as Miroku ran to her side.

“Kirara!”

The Feline knew what to do as she heard her name. The boomerang came flying underneath her as she flew into the air. However, the Beast saw this coming and leaped to the right. Only barely did Brent, Kagome, and Shippo manage to duck in time as it zoomed past them. Inuyasha ran forward with a yell to try for another swing, but missed as the Beast jumped straight at the Monk and Demon Slayer. Miroku was reaching for his Sutras, but a cold blast of ice breath aimed at both him and Sango caused them to split and dive away. This did not deter the Beast from his plan. The moment Sango was vulnerable it pounced upon her and swiped her; knocking her out. Using its large fangs to lift her up it turned back to the others with a growl.

“If you wish to see her alive again, then you, young human, will come alone!”

“SANGO!” Miroku yelled as he ran after the Beast.

Taking another leap into the air, it shot a ball of ice at the ground and dove straight into it. A thunderous upheaval of dirt and rock blinded everyone for a moment. As the air cleared it was apparent what the Beast had done. It burrowed into the ground. The entrance to the burrow was surrounded by crystal clear ice. Miroku ran forward to it with the others right behind him. Kirara growled and rushed toward it ready to dive in.

“Kirara no!” Brent jumped in front of her even as she bared her teeth. They weren’t meant for Brent. The feline was simply furious that Sango had been taken.

“If you go down there that thing will kill her! I have to go alone…Trust me…OK?” Kirara whined as she settled down and stared into Brent’s pleading eyes. She nodded, which caught Brent off guard. Before turning to the icy burrow he gave Kirara a gentle rub on her head.

“Brent…Please be careful…” Kagome entreated as she held Shippo. Both of them looked anxious.

“Don’t get hasty. Watch yourself.” Inuyasha sheathed his sword.

“Brent…Bring her back alive. Don’t hesitate to do what it takes to survive. No matter what.” Miroku looked the most severe out of them all. Brent could see something in his eyes…

“I’ll come back with her. I promise.” 

Over in the nearby woods Setsuko was patiently watching with a terrible smile. Naraku’s Demon had done better than she had expected! Now all she had to do was pass the time until that damnable human was delivered to her. While she would torture Brent, the Ice Beast could take care of Inuyasha and his aggravating friends. This was going to be a wonderful blood-filled day…she could feel it!

Looking down into the hole showed a steep slope of ice that only led down into the Earth’s crust. Deep breath now…Brent stepped forward and dropped into the opening. The slippery ice left him no chance of stopping his descent; now at the mercy of the path before him. Down, down, down he slid; the tunnel curving and twisting until finally he slid into a large chamber. Sunlight from above ground had refracted through the ice and dimly lit the area. The chamber was rather large and left Brent wondering how the Beast was able to create a room in such a quick manner. He had to take great care to get to his feet as the floor itself was made of ice. All the ice had a bluish hue to it, but he knew better than to let the color calm him. No sooner than he had gotten to his feet he spotted Sango at the opposite end of the chamber. 

Sango! Sango!” Brent called to her. She was still unconscious it seemed.

Tanny filled Brent’s hands as he looked around the large space. The Demon had to be down here…there was only one exit. Boy it was cold down here…Every breath met the air and turned to mist as his eyes scanned everywhere before trying to progress. Where was it? There were no structures anywhere! Nothing to hide behind! How could such a large monster hide like this? His heartbeat filled his ears, steadily growing faster with anxiousness, as he moved toward his Demon Slayer friend. This was upsetting to say at the least.

Up above ground the rest of the gang was waiting patiently…except for Kirara. The large tusked cat paced eagerly around the burrow, and Miroku who found it inappropriate to sit at the time. Kirara’s eyes never left the entrance to ice cavern. Inuyasha sat Indian-style off to the side with his arms crossed; his eyes were shut as he focused on his hearing. He did his best to try and isolate any sound that could come from the below.

“Can you hear anything Inuyasha?” Kagome was kneeling next to him as Shippo sit almost like Inuyasha.

“Not really. Either I can’t pick it up, or things are just too quiet right now.” The Half-Demon never altered his state. His left ear twitched for a second which brought hopeful looks to Kagome and Shippo, but a quiet shake of the head from Inuyasha brought them back to gloom.

“If you hear anything at all we need to act immediately.” Miroku’s stare upon the hole left for only a moment as he looked to Inuyasha. Kirara growled in agreement with the Monk.

“Everyone be quiet! I’m trying to concentrate…” Inuyasha snapped.

Brent had just reached Sango. He’d nearly slipped and fallen on his back a few times trying to traverse the slippery ground. Leaning down to her Brent gently tried to wake her.

“Sango…Hey! Come on…” Placing two fingers on her neck he was able to feel a pulse. “Oh thank…” 

Brent looked up and wished he hadn’t, because inside the wall of ice behind the Demon Slayer was the Ice Beast…and it was staring right at him with its horrendous fangs bared. It had blended in perfectly with its own ice!

Bursting forth from its hiding place, the Demon sent ice everywhere with a great crash. Brent tried to react as he raised his gun and fired off two shots, but both missed. As it lunged straight at him, Brent fell to his back and had his weapon knocked from his hands the Demon’s claws snagged it. The Ice Beast landed with a great boom; ice cracking beneath its mass.

Inuyasha’s eyes opened as he jumped to his feet. Everyone else looked straight to him as he ran over and gazed down the hole.

“I heard something! Like something breaking!”

Kirara snarled and roared as she took flight and soared straight down the burrow.

“KIRARA WAIT!” Miroku called.

“We gotta go after her!” Shippo put on his best brave face.

“Oh no! Look!” Kagome pointed into the hole. The fire that surrounded Kirara’s paws had caused some of the ice to melt and create a partial seal.

“My Wind Scar will take care of that!” Inuyasha raised Tetsaiga.

“No don’t! If it travels all the down you could hit Kirara or the others!” Kagome put her hands up to stop him.

“Grrrrrrrrr-Damn it!”

Brent was now left unarmed aside from his Tanto, and that would do no good here. Not against something this size. He sat there on his knees as he tried to think of something.

“You will be coming with me human.” The hulking Ice Beast started to step forward.

“What does Naraku want with me?” Brent had to stall…there had to be a way out of this…

“It is not Naraku that wants you. It is the Lizard Demon he has offered to help. Setsuko.”

“What?!” Brent didn’t want to accept the answer he’d been given…That sociopathic woman was being helped by HIM?! 

“Either you come with me, or I can bring you to her frozen.” The deep rumbling voice echoed in the chamber of ice.

Withdrawing the Tanto and pointing it at his captor, Brent would not go down without trying. “Come on then! 

“If that is your decision…” The great brute firmly planted its feet as if it were going to pounce, but instead opened its horrid mouth. From inside an icy light began to build up; growing brighter by the second.

Had Brent been able to enlarge his eye anymore they would have surely fallen out. He didn’t know what was about to happen, but he knew he wasn’t going to be able to avoid this. With the floor as slippery as it was Brent wouldn’t get anywhere fast enough. He was a sitting duck.

A heart stopping roar, that startled Brent, echoed in the chamber as Kirara flew into view and tackled the Ice Beast. Just as it was knocked from its place a white beam of ice shot from the Demon’s mouth, and missed the human by only a foot. The deathly cold of the white beam cast its chill around Brent as it created a massive chunk of clean ice on the wall behind him.

Roaring, snarls, and growls reverberated in the icy prison as a battle between Fire and Ice raged. Kirara played it smart and forced the Ice Beast to come to her. The incredibly smart Feline knew that the fire around her paws would melt the ice and help create stable ground for Brent to stand on. She danced around every cold swipe, pointed icicle, and lethal bite as small bits of earth made itself visible underneath her paws. 

Brent sat there watching in awe as the Demon Cat would swat and bite back if the Cold Monstrosity drew too close. It was too angered to pay attention to the melting ice around it. Several times Brent had to duck back and nearly landed on poor Sango. Once the two Demons were far enough away he spotted Tanny over to the left near the wall. Thankfully, Kirara had left an abundance of melted spots around it. The Tanto found its way into its sheath as Brent quickly got up and began leaping, foot by foot, from one spot of cold earth to the next. With his back to the boisterous fight he had no idea that they were growing closer to him. Brent’s eyes were fixed on his weapon as it lay on the ice cold and gray.

“Gotcha! WHOA!!!” 

Brent fell backward shouting as Kirara slammed the Ice Beast in the wall in front of him with a deafening crack. An ever worse sound filled the room as she sunk her tusk-like fangs into the Cold Monster. It howled in anguish as it thrashed around, and in its pain it smacked Brent. His weapon knocked from hands yet again. Only this time it landed just near his unconscious ally. Brent had to scoot back a couple feet before it was safe for him to stand and make a mad dash back to where he started. Hopping and jumping as fast as he could toward his weapon, Brent let his haste go too far and he slipped. Were it not for his reflexes, aided by the Jewel Shard, he wouldn’t have latched a grip onto some of the earth nearby. A new sound filled the ice chamber. It was Kirara howling in pain. Brent looked up to see her thrown across the room, slam into a wall, and fall to the floor in a heap.

“KIRARA!!!”

Brent had only gotten onto one knee when the Ice Beast had taken the same position as earlier with its mouth opened. The same white light was building up again within the jaws of the Wintry Behemoth and it was aimed straight at Setsuko’s prey.

Brent raised his weapon and took aim.

The Ice Demon released his beam of ice.

Brent’s finger pulled the trigger and didn’t release.

Two blindingly white beams collided against each other and created a standstill; each one fighting the other to hit its target. Brent grit his teeth and groaned as he held the trigger; his lifeforce draining with every precious second. He knew the Demon wouldn’t be suffering in the same fashion as him. This disadvantage would surely be his undoing. His beam wasn’t making any progress. As a matter of fact, it was starting to weaken and lose ground! Brent was struggling to even stay on his knee and keep his gun held up. The color in his skin began to drain. He felt so exhausted…sleep…he wanted to sleep so badly.

A sudden rush of energy burst through him as he felt someone grab him. It was Sango! Her arms wrapped around him and her hands locked together on his chest where the Jewel Shard rested. Brent felt her energy…her own lifeforce passing through him as she shouted.

“WE WERE NOT MEANT TO DIE HERE!”

The beam of energy grew in size and not only covered lost ground, but pushed forward closer to the Ice Beast. The combined determination and sheer will from the two humans was proving to be too much. It edged closer and closer…until…

“RRRRRRROOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGHHHH!!!”

Screaming in agony as it was struck by the beam; the Ice Beast was completely eradicated in one fell swoop. The chamber fell silent except for the heaving breaths of the two humans. Both were looking ghostly pale and ready to pass out.

“Kirara…” Sango spotted her Demon friend off to the side. The Demon Slayer fell back down as she tried to stand in her weakened state.

“Here…let me help…” Brent did his best to work with Sango and get them to their feet. Moving very slowly they made their way over to the Feline.

“Brent…Thank you…”

“Don’t mention it…” Brent smiled weakly.

Outside everyone was in a bit of a panic. They all heard the grotesque death cry from below; even Setsuko did. Every last one of them was wondering who made it. To everyone’s delight, Kirara soon came flying back up the hole with Brent and Sango on her back.

“SANGO!” Miroku rushed over to help her down as she fell into his arms. Brent was helped by Inuyasha and nearly hit the ground as he tried on his own to get down first. 

Setsuko witnessed all of this, and it made her blood boil. “Damn you…Damn you damn you DAMN YOU!!!” She wore to herself in a seething rage as she ran off. The Saimyosho will need to deliver a message for her…

“What happened down there?” Kagome tried to ask Sango.

“You two are so cold!” Shippo recoiled when he felt Brent’s head.

“Setsuko…Setsuko made a deal…with Naraku…” Brent said as Inuyasha helped him stay sitting up.

The entire group shot looks of utter disbelief at Brent and yelled at the same time. 

“WHAT?!”


	20. Inner Workings

Today hit a high note in terms of stress. Was that note the highest in its range? Probably not considering that Hisao had yet to be located, but it was up there. Nightfall had laid its dark blanket over the Japanese countryside and signaled the end of a hectic day. After the run-in with Naraku’s Ice Beast, and barely managing to escape Setsuko’s bloodthirsty clutches, Brent had been left drained. Quite literally. He and Sango were required to take the entire day to recuperate from the sapping effects of his Tanegashima. Kirara was getting around fine; only being momentarily dazed from the blow she had taken. When it was all over with Brent had never seen someone so appreciative. Miroku profusely thanked him throughout the day, and Brent could see the gratitude light his eyes up as Kirara had carried him and Sango the rest of the day. All he could do was shrug it off with his response of “I had to”, or “I couldn’t let her die because of me.” Inuyasha had been impressed by the fortitude and determination of his new friend, and had praised him as well. This came as a small shock, but it did make Brent smile. Kagome and Shippo were beside themselves with happiness just to see the two of them alive and well.

So now with the day at an end there was a fire crackling for some added warmth; with most everyone gathered around it. Only two of the group were missing, Brent and Kirara.

“Where did those two go?” Inuyasha asked as he looked around.

“I’ll find them. They can’t have gone far.” Sango was looking normal again with her skin back to its lively appearance.

“I think he went that way. I’ll come with you.” Kagome stood up and walked side by side with the Demon Slayer.

The small encampment had been prepared just inside some nearby wooded area. Brent and Kirara were not far off; only being just at the edge of the trees. He was sitting with his back to a tree with the now tiny Feline in his lap. She lay curled up as this kind human gently rubbed behind her pointy ears; purring gently at the pleasant touch.

Ever since the exhaustion had given way to renewed vitality, Brent’s mind had been at play, or rather work. Ever since his arrival things have gone from bad to worse. And with no sign of this ‘Know-It-All’ Demon he couldn’t help but wonder how things were going to decline further. Sango was taken earlier today, Kagome was nearly killed by the Lizard Demon; Brent didn’t want to see anyone else get hurt because of him. But to really top the cake off, Setsuko had formed some sort of alliance with the same Demon that had ruined, and ended, so many people’s lives. And he’s survived for fifty years doing this! How could anyone endure an attack from this monster? The more Brent thought about it the more a feeling of anxiousness grew within his chest. Though he didn’t realize it his breathed had quickened slightly as a result. 

“There you two are!”

Being pulled from the trance of his own thinking Brent looked up to see Sango and Kagome both smiling. Kirara’s eyes popped open and she mewled upon seeing Sango. 

“Looks like Kirara didn’t want you to go alone!” Sango kneeled down and pet the tiny Feline. “Brent, I can’t thank you enough for saving me earlier.”

Brent chuckled a little and looked at Kirara. “I think we all know the real hero is our little friend here. If she hadn’t shown up we’d both be icicles. You know what? One of these days Kirara I’m gonna catch a big fish for you. Not really sure how else to repay you!”

The small yellow kitten mewled and rubbed her head against his hand which prompted a small laugh from the three humans. Brent went right back to rubbing behind her ears.

“Seems like she’s just fine with that!” Kagome kneeled next to Sango.

“Brent, after what happened earlier I can’t get my mind off of what your weapon does. You really have to go through that? My body wanted to give up!” Sango was now looking worried.

“Yeah…But that’s the price for defense I guess. I hadn’t used it like that yet. Hopefully things won’t escalate to a point where I need to shoot a continuous beam again.”

“I’m just glad the two of you are safe. That’s all that really matters in the end.” Kagome smiled. “We’ll all be going to sleep soon. Come back by the fire where it’s warm.”

As they all stood up, Kirara perked up and hopped off of Brent’s lap. Taking the lead she meowed as if to say: ‘Follow me!’ Her two bushy tails swished gently while the others followed silently. Once they were back the tiny Demon hopped over to Shippo, who was nearest the fire, and lay down next to him.

“Hey Kirara! You keep a good eye on Brent?” She looked up at Shippo and meowed.

“I thought I said not to go off on your own?” Inuyasha did not look happy.

“Oh don’t worry Inuyasha. He was in good hands!” Kagome waved Inuyasha off with a smile. 

As the girls took a seat Brent remained standing and gazed at the Half-Demon with a small amount of uncertainty. 

“Is everything alright?” Miroku curiously asked.

“Yeah…I just…Inuyasha. Thank you for…protecting me earlier.”

Everyone was silent for a moment. Inuyasha took the moment of silence to eye Brent. He looked and sounded sincere enough even if it did sound a bit forced.

“I said I was going to protect you. I’m not the kind of person to go back on my word. So yeah, you’re welcome. And…” During his pause, Inuyasha’s diverted to the side. “…I’m sorry I scared you earlier. It wasn’t needed after everything you’ve been through.”

A half-happy, half-awkward smile lit up Brent’s lips as everyone else stared on looking a little befuddled. Did they really just get along? 

“Thanks…buddy.” Brent sat down against a tree.

Kagome was positively overjoyed. The boys actually were getting along and Brent had just referred to Inuyasha as a friend! This was just what she had been wishing for ever since they met. Smiles revealed themselves as the firelight brought them from the shadows of worry. Inuyasha was the only one not smiling as it appeared he was already asleep.

Brent was looking up into the night sky, and for the first time, noticed just how full of stars it was. It was almost as if someone had spilled brilliantly gleaming diamonds across a black sheet that went on endlessly.

“Wow…That’s incredible…”

“You’ve never seen the stars before?” Miroku asked.

“Not like this. Back home, you could see…maybe a dozen of them. All the ambient light keeps them from appearing.”

“What’s ambient light?” Sango looked curious.

“Basically it’s pollution from other light sources. So many people in our time have on a bunch of lights, and that kinda hides the stars. It would be like if a village twenty times the size of Kaede’s all had several torches lit outside every home.” Kagome said.

“Really? That’s so sad! The stars are beautiful! Why doesn’t everyone just put out their lights?” Shippo squeaked.

Brent laughed a little. “Because then they would run into everything in their homes and break stuff.”

“Will you guys keep it down? We all need our rest and I’m trying get mine.” Inuyasha spoke with closed eyes.

“Sorry Inuyasha.” Kagome took her spot on a rolled out sleeping bag, but had another thought. “Brent, do you want the sleeping bag?”

“No no. It’s yours. You use it. I’ll be fine.”

“Really it’s no trouble!”

“Kagome. You use it. I’m ok. Thank you though.” Brent said with a smile.

“Alright. Good night everyone.” With a small yawn, Kagome lay her head down and shut her eyes.

The events from today had finally taken their toll. As small cracks of burning wood echoed, and glowing embers rose into the air, the fire showed them all sleeping contently. Inuyasha, Miroku, and Brent all sat up as they slept. The girls, Shippo, and Kirara, were lying down. Kirara had curled up next to Sango with her bushy tails covering her face. After ending the chaotic day on a high note none of them had even bothered to question what tomorrow would bring them.


	21. Consuming Darkness

“So…that Ice Demon was not enough to capture this human you are after?” A soft wispy voice spoke as Setsuko walked along.

Giving a growl of annoyance she kept her mind on her next plan. Leaving the work solely to the Ice Beast was a mistake. Clearly Brent had been criminally underestimated; just how powerful was he? He was only a human and yet he was able to decimate a fearsome Demon from the face of the Earth. This time would be different however. Naraku had been generous enough to lend Setsuko another Demon to aid her after being told what happened to the Ice Beast.

“I won’t be so foolhardy as that brute. This…Inuyasha and his friends won’t even see us coming.” The voice spoke again…yet nothing seemed to be following the Lizard Demon.

“That would be the point. Seeing as your abilities will offer a new strategy I’ve decided I’m going to go after Brent myself. I just need you to occupy that damned Half-Demon and his allies!” Setuko hissed as her eyes remained forward.

“It will be childishly easy…” A black wisp that looked like a moving cloud popped up from Setsuko’s shadow and flew in front of her. “You will have total vision during our attack. So don’t fret my dear.” Red eyes suddenly opened in a non-descript place on the wispy black fog looking rather pleased.

“Once I have done away with this putrid human you may do as you please with Inuyasha and the others. I have no interest in taking their lives.”

“Oh lovely…” The dark cloud hummed with an unnerving chuckle.

After having to retreat from sight and regroup Setsuko would have to find her way back to where the band of friends was. It was fortuitous that the Saimyosho could fly ahead remaining undetected in the sky to help spot them. The sun would be setting soon; which would only help with her next scheme.

“Has nobody ever heard of Hisao?” Shippo was tired of the quiet as they walked along. It had been hours since anyone last spoke. Only the sounds of footsteps and chirping birds had been the highlight of the day’s conversations. 

“I’ve been around far longer than any of you and I’ve never even heard of him!” Inuyasha huffed.

“Then how come Lady Kaede has heard of him?”

“She’s a hag. Who knows how?”

“Inuyasha that’s not nice!” Kagome shot him a nasty look.

“We’ve been walking all day in a random direction with no leads. I don’t mean to be pessimistic, but this is not looking great at all.” Brent said looking into the distance rather glumly.

The view he had was rather spectacular, but lost on him. Only a couple hours ago they had started to ascend into a nearby mountain range; the dirt beneath their feet replaced with stone and gravel. The sun was slowly dipping below the horizon just as it had during Hiwatari-Sai; which seemed to be so long ago. All day, Brent held the record for being the least talkative. He had seemed rather distant, more so than usual, and this was not missed by anyone.

“Don’t worry. We’ll find Hisao and get the answers we need.” Sango gave a reassuring smile as she put a hand on his shoulder.

But Brent didn’t seem to acknowledge her. He only seemed to be staring into nothingness as his legs did all the work in his absentmindedness. 

“I don’t know if it’s the Jewel Shard…or just me…but do you ever get that feeling in your chest that something is wrong? That’s how I feel right now…and it won’t go away…” Brent said as he finally looked back along the path.

“You’re just paranoid. Calm down. Nothing is going to happen. The day is almost over and we’ll be finding a place to camp soon.” There was a hint of impatience in Inuyasha’s voice.

“In a less tactful way, he is right. Everything is fine.” Miroku walked up on Brent’s other side and smiled at him.

“Naraku can’t handle us! And neither can his Demons!” Shippo said proudly.

“We’ve all got each other’s backs. You’re one us and we won’t let anything happen to you.” Kagome said looking back at her American friend.

Brent never gave a response; his mind was elsewhere already and had been most of the day. It was why he was so quiet. The only thing that occupied his mind, ever since he learned of it, was the fact that his would-be killer now had help from the one person that was part of the worst-case scenario. Every time he looked at his friends earlier in the day he could only think of how their lives had been dramatically altered thanks to Naraku, and how it was going to affect him now that he was part of the equation. Brent was overwhelmed at this point with a flurry of thoughts, and a flood of various emotions. What if he never made it home? What if one of the others was hurt or killed because of him? He couldn’t live with himself if that happened…especially if it was Kagome! Even if he survived he would ripped him limb from limb by Koga; and with his speed Brent was sure even Inuyasha wouldn’t be able to protect him. This wasn’t where he belonged; in this pitiless and harsh world. A simple trip to learn about the culture of a foreign country has turned into an utter nightmare and only seems to be moving in a downward spiral. Home…he wanted to go back home…back to a comfy bed, safely tucked away in his apartment, and surrounded by air conditioning…

“Up there! We’ll make camp on that plateau. Night is almost here.” Inuyasha called from up front.

“Isn’t there a cave nearby?” Sango looked around.

“No. We’ll have to make do. We’re too far up now.”

Brent popped out of his reverie and finally took notice of the world around him. The sun had indeed nearly disappeared below the horizon. Only a quarter remained that cast its glow. The clouds in the sky were becoming a deeper shade of red as the sun slowly his away behind the hills.

Upon reaching the plateau everyone sat their gear down and began to rest. Though, one member was still uneasy about their camping situation. It was far too open and left no sense of security. Sure there was nowhere for any enemy to hide, but the same went for them. Inuyasha stretched his arms wide and yawned while scratching the back of his head. He caught Brent’s attention when his weary gaze quickly changed to alert. Miroku and Sango were on their feet already and had their weapons in hand.

“Do you sense that?” Miroku scanned behind them all.

“A Demonic aura…” Sango tightened her grip on the Hiraikotsu.

“I can smell it…similar to Naraku!” Inuyasha withdrew his Tetsaiga which quickly changed to its large and curved fang-like state.

“Oh no…I knew it…” Brent removed Tanny from his back and held it tightly.

Kagome and Shippo saw the look on his face. For the first time since Brent had arrived; they saw a bit of fear spark in his eyes as they darted around. Kirara leaped over to him with a roar after transforming and stood behind him; snarling and baring her teeth. Kagome and Shippo ran over and took place in front of their friend; Kagome nocked an arrow and readied herself.

“Kagome and the others got the right idea! Circle around Brent!” Ordered Inuyasha.

The Monk, Half-Demon, and Demon slayer moved just in time, because at the moment a thick black fog began to seep up over the edges of their highland.

“What the hell is that?!” Brent shouted. 

“I don’t know!” Kagome’s response spoke for everyone.

As the deathly looking smog crept closer they all heard a soft cackle. Inuyasha took a swing at the dark fog, but it did nothing; it didn’t even wave any away! Everyone expected something different as it circled their ankles, but nothing happened. There was no pain, no ill effects, only a deep sense of foreboding. Rising higher and higher as if it were baking, the nightmarish cloud began to consume them all; bringing them closer to its shadowy depths. A soft cackle echoes around them and grows louder as the black veil covers them totally.

“I can’t see a thing!” Inuyasha shouted.

“I can’t even see Kagome and she’s standing right in front of me! What is this?!” Brent yelled.

“This fog is so dense it’s as if light never existed!” Miroku exclaimed.

“You’re all in my world now…” A soft wispy voice sounded around them suddenly. “Darkness will consume you all…heeheeheeheehee!”

“Show yourself you coward!” Yelled Inuyasha.

“We know what you are here for and we won’t let you take him!” Sango felt lost even with the knowledge her allies were near her.

“Oh him? That strangely dressed human? I don’t want him…but I know someone who does…” The disembodied voice said.

Setsuko had been watching this entire time from the edge over the pathway. What unfolded before her left her stunned. There they all were looking around frantically as if they were blind; completely oblivious to where she stood. Some of them had even looked directly at her! This Demon of the Dark spoke the truth; she was able to see through his fog. And there…there was her prey…right…there…

Brent had tried putting his hand up to his face so that his palm touched his nose, and he still couldn’t see his own hand! Not even the glow from the metal on his Tanegashima could pierce this infernal dark. His finger was ready to pull the trigger and blast the first thing he saw…if he could see it! Firing blindly was out of the question; he could hit one of the group and possibly kill them. 

“Oh Brent…”

Spinning around upon hearing the wispy voice behind him, Brent was face to face with a set of terrifying blood red eyes. He shouted in fear and fell back knocking over Kagome and Shippo.

NOW! This was Setsuko’s chance! 

Brent felt something wet and sticky wrap around his ankles and knew exactly what was happening. He had felt this disgusting feeling before when Setsuko wrapped her tongue around his neck, and that was what she was doing now. Not only did he feel the tug from her, but he felt himself being pushed along as well. That Dark Demon was shoving him toward her!

“HEEELLLP!” Brent yelled as he tried to blindly grab onto any of his nearby friends.

“WHAT’S GOING ON?!” Kagome shouted. She looked around desperately to spot the shard within his chest; hoping to find the glow, but it was all for naught. The concealing power of the fog was too great.

Amidst the panic Inuyasha’s ears picked up the scraping of Brent being dragged along the stony ground. Hand outstretched, he took a dive toward the sound blindly and grasped hold of something. Pulling as hard as he could only yanked something toward him, and then he realized what he was holding. Inuyasha had just yanked Brent’s only true defensive weapon from his hands.

“BRENT HOLD ON!” Inuyasha chased after the sound sightlessly for only a moment before something knocked him off his feet, and back toward the group.

“GUUUYYYS!” The sound of Brent being dragged stopped as he was pulled over the side.

“DAMN IT! WE NEED TO CLEAR THIS-UNG!” Miroku yelled as he was knocked off his feet.

“You won’t be going anywhere. You all belong to me now!” The Demon cackled as the group tried to spot it.

Once Brent had been pulled close enough Setsuko jumped down to the path far below. She watched as his feet came into view with glee; her wicked smile forming as her grotesquely extended tongue pulled. With nothing to take hold of, Brent fell over the side and tumbled down the steep rock face. Landing on his back with a thud and grunt of pain, Setsuko retracted her tongue entirely and flashed a malicious toothy grin. The wind had been knocked out of him as he lay there trying to get his breath back. He might have been seriously injured had it not been for the Jewel Shard.

“Hello…murderer…”

Brent could finally see again; only the night was very nearly upon them. The sky was slowly turning blacker with every moment; and the current moment was looking terribly bleak. He lifted his head to see Setsuko standing just mere feet away from him. Panic set it. Without his Tanegashima he was utterly powerless to her. That smile on her face…All the ill intent and hatred was written upon it that she held toward him. Brent scrambled away as she walked towards him with that treacherous smirk. Just as he’d gotten to his feet and turned to run, the tongue of the Lizard Demon shot out again to trip him. The human fell flat on his face, and Setsuko leaped onto his back pinning him to the ground. 

Slowly she leaned in next to his right ear and whispered. “I’ve done nothing but contemplate how I want to kill you. Have you ever occupied a woman’s mind so much before?”

The intimidating taunt was met with the crack of elbow against her jaw. Setsuko made the mistake of not holding his arms down. The blow sent her off of him to the left and against the rocky wall. How could a human hold enough strength to strike her that hard? Left dazed for only a second, the Lizard Demon quickly grabbed her prey’s ankle as he tried to flee.

Up on the plateau the Dark Demon was having a fantastic time smacking around Inuyasha and the others. One second they swore they saw a set of red eyes; the next they struck by the unseen foe. He was only toying with them…for the moment.

“Naraku is weak to be so bothered by the likes of you! Capturing you was far too easy! And it will be even easier to end your worthless lives…heeheeheeheehee!”

“We have to do something! Brent’s in serious trouble!” Shippo was anxiously turning and looking in all directions.

“What can we do?! Any move we try to make we get pushed back!” Sango shouted as got a lucky block with her weapon on a hit meant for her.

Inuysasha’s sword couldn’t cut the fog. Kagome fired several arrows, and even her power couldn’t perforate the shroud.

“We have to do something! Anything!” The schoolgirl pleaded.

“My Wind Tunnel might be the only way!” The Monk grabbed his beads and readied to unleash his power. “Is everyone behind me?!”

“Miroku don’t! I can smell those Saimyosho nearby! They’re lying in wait! Gah!” There was a loud clang as the Demon struck Inuyasha’s sword.

Was this truly a checkmate? No…things could not end like this. Miroku wouldn’t allow it. His new ally…his new friend…had saved Sango’s life. He had gone all on his own and risked his own neck to bring her back. Miroku felt indebted to that. A decision was made. Raising his hand and removing the beads around the concealing glove he once again called forth the power of the terrible curse bestowed upon him.

Below the struggle with the demonic shroud another was in progress. Brent and Setsuko were vying to overthrow the other and land a killing blow. Flailing about on the ground as he tried to punch her, and she tried to tear his flesh with her claws, both of them dodge or blocked the other’s aggression. Brent was on the ground with Setsuko atop him again; currently holding her arms to prevent her from ripping him apart. 

Then sound of a sudden immense gust of wind caught their attention. Both looked up to the plateau to see the fog disappearing. They both knew what was going on.

“NO!”

Seeing his new window of opportunity Brent let go of one of his attacker’s hands and threw a punch. Setsuko groaned in pain as her prey reached for something. The sound of a weapon being unsheathed filled the air. Brent brought his Tanto up to stab the Lizard Demon in the head…but wasn’t quick enough. Her hand wrapped around his wrist; stopping his fatal blow.

“You wretched little…”

A lump caught in Setsuko’s throat when she saw the weapon. That Tanto…

“You…You took my brother’s weapon?” She spoke with a swelling rage.

“No! It was given to me and for the last GODDAMN time I DIDN’T KILL HIM!”

Setsuko’s breathing was becoming more rapid…haggard…fierce. Teeth grit tightly and fangs bared, she released her anger that had built within her.

“LIAR!!!”

With deft movements, Setsuko punched Brent in the nose dazing him instantly and caused him to shout. As his nose bled she took the Tanto from his weakened grip, raised it, and stabbed him in the stomach. It pierced his flesh with ease with a sickening noise. Brent’s scream would have reached his friends had Setsuko not covered his mouth. He pitifully tried to shove her off, but if he made any movement she would just twist the Tanto causing more excruciating pain. The pain in his eyes…ever so slowly building…oh it was wonderful to see. The smell of blood…seeping from between the blade and his flesh…to just taste it for a moment would be divine. 

As Setsuko was inflicting pain upon Brent, Miroku was experiencing his own for his bold decision. When the last of the black vapor was sucked into his Wind Tunnel two Saimyosho appeared and selflessly put them in its deadly path. That familiar stinging twinge coursed through his entire body. With his objective completed he sealed his hand, and fell to his knees shaking.

“Miroku!” Sango and Kirara were instantly at his side.

With nothing to hide his form the Dark Demon was left floating in midair for everyone to see. Just a dark as the smoke it had created and staring in shock with its blood red eyes.

“No! How…how did you…”

“Play time is over pal! WIND SCAR!!!” Inuyasha wasted no time and swung his grand sword; slicing the point in which their Demonic energies met. 

Great waves of energy surged forward toward the hapless Demon and engulfed him entirely. Screaming in agony, the Dark Demon was obliterated entirely. Another of Naraku’s minions gone. The moment the Demon was gone Inuyasha caught it faintly…the smell of blood. He knew it was Brent’s immediately, but how was it he was able to pick it up?

“INUYASHA! HE’S DOWN THERE!” Kagome yelled at the top of her lungs and pointed to where she could see the Jewel finally.

Sango was closest however, and immediately hopped onto Kirara.

The commotion from above told Setsuko what had happened, and caused her to realize she had no time to play anymore. Brent deserved to suffer, and so she changed her plan to one that even he had no chance of surviving. 

Once more she leaned down close to him and stared into his terrified eyes as she spoke with malice. “Your death will be slow…I’ll be thrilled knowing that you will suffer horribly…” 

Brent could only watch as she opened her mouth; noticing her fangs were dripping. Right when she went to bite into his neck, he held up his arm to try and shield himself. This only caused her fangs to sink into his left forearm; another muffled scream into the palm of his assailant’s hand. Setsuko held her fangs in place for a moment before withdrawing; blood coating her fangs and lips. The cold and spiteful look in her eyes disappeared when a bright white glow appeared in Brent’s chest. Though she had no idea, but it was the Jewel Shard trying to ease Brent’s pain. 

“GET AWAY FROM HIM!”

Kirara roared as her rider threw her weapon. The attack missed as Setsuko jumped off of Brent and over the side; disappearing into the darkness as the oversized boomerang struck into the mountainside. Sango and Kirara rushed to the wounded young man as he whimpered in pain.

“H-help…me…please…”

Brent feebly clutched at the gaping wound in his stomach as it bled; making his shirt an even deeper shade of red. 

“We have to get to a more secure place! Let me help you onto Kirara!”

The large Feline was already lying down to make it easier. Moaning in pain as he was helped to his feet, Brent was only barely able to lift his leg to sit on Kirara’s back. Inuyasha, carrying Miroku in his arms, Kagome on his back, and Shippo on hers, had just jumped down as Sango took her place after grabbing the Hiraikotsu and held onto Brent.

“What happened to him?!” Kagome and Shippo asked at the same time.

“She’s stabbed him in the stomach! We need to get him somewhere safer! That forest over there will provide a better hiding place! Just follow me!” Sango took charge of the situation immediately and soared down the mountainside holding onto Brent.

Inuyasha, with even the great weight from everyone he was carrying, jumped down the cliff’s side swiftly. Despite the intensely steep face, every step met stone perfectly during the descent. He needed to be quick, but careful. Miroku was in bad shape as well, but had experience fighting through the pain he dealt. Brent was another story.

“Inuyasha. Setsuko could have killed Brent right there! She had him in her grasp! Why didn’t she?” Kagome held onto his shoulders and hugged her body close and she rested on his back.

“My guess is she wants him to die slowly and painfully. But if that’s the case why just stab him? He can recover from that quickly. Unless…” There was another scent the Half-Demon was picking up. It was mixed with the faint scent of the blood and far more prominent…

The forest was so close now. Once they were hidden beneath the expansive green canopy Sango could help tend to Brent’s wounds until the others caught up.

“Kirara go as fast as you can! Brent, how are you holding up?...Brent?” 

His head was hanging down, and his shoulders had slumped. Sango gasped in alarm when she peered around him. Brent’s eyes had rolled into the back of his head…and he was foaming at the mouth.

“Brent! BRENT! Oh no…KIRARA HURRY!” Sango looked at his arm and had noticed the bite marks. It had stopped bleeding and taken on a purplish color around the punctures. 

No matter how fast the large Feline flew it just didn’t seem fast enough. It was as if reality had been put into slow motion. Every second seemed like a minute as they descended. Leaves and branches parted as they breached canopy finally. Kirara laid down the moment they touched ground. Brent was practically dead weight and Sango almost fell over with him as she tried to get him down.

“No…no no no! Stay with me!” 

The bright glow from Brent’s chest finally went noticed by the Demon Hunter. With how dark it was in the forest it was a blessing. Sango’s focus immediately went to the bite marks on his arm; lifting it toward the light. Assessing the bite and Brent’s current state only brought her to a horrific realization. Quick footsteps approached from behind; prompting her to withdraw her Katana. It proved to be a false alarm as she saw Inuyasha running toward them.

“Come back this way! We found an abandoned hut! I’ll carry him!”

“We have to hurry!”

“What the?! What happened to him?!” Inuyasha looked appalled as he lifted the motionless young man, yet entranced by the glow coming from his body.

“He’s been terribly poisoned!” Sango and Kirara followed her Half-Demon ally back through the woods which was made easy thanks to the light from Brent.

Located in a very small clearing there was a worn down hut; a long-forgotten home that had fallen into a state of decay. Holes in the walls and ceiling all about were creating a small draft that would flow through. Kagome and Shippo waited anxiously as Miroku lay down between them; wincing in pain as his body fought the Saimyosho’s poison. Candles had been lit; casting their warm orange glow through the holes as if to say the home was once again under ownership. All was silent until Inuysha and Sango burst in looking distraught. Brent was set down next to Miroku, and when Kagome and Shippo saw him, they both gasped.

“Brent! What’s wrong with him and why is his chest glowing?!” Kagome shrieked and instantly went to her backpack for medical supplies. 

“No no no! This isn’t fair! Please save him!” Shippo hopped over to Kagome as Sango kneeled down next to Brent. The little Fox helped Kagome with the stab wound; the bandages quickly turning red.

“Brent has been poisoned badly. Worse than Miroku…” All the young woman’s focus was on searching through her armor for something.

“What?!” The schoolgirl and little Fox shouted.

“Damn it!” Sango had retrieved a small trinket that once she opened it, revealed a very small amount antidote. The very same used to treat Miroku. “I don’t have enough antidote for it!”

“Wait! That’s what Miroku needs!” Inuysasha stepped closer.

“Yes! But it can be used to slow down the poison in Brent’s body. I’ll have to go out and find the proper herbs to make the true antidote for Brent…” Sango took what was left and split it in half.

“Give…give it…to Brent…” The weakened Monk spoke as he looked over toward his injured ally.

“No! I won’t let you be forced to suffer!” Sango snapped.

“This isn’t…my first time…eh he he…” Miroku smiled weakly.

“Sango just how bad is Brent poisoned?” Inuyasha kneeled down next to Brent.

“This poison is not like others. It’s horrendous…It ravages the body, paralyzing it and causing insufferable pain. If left untreated his insides will turn to nothing but liquid…”

Kagome gasped, and Shippo screamed in fear.

“Sango, I know you care for Miroku. We all do. But Brent is in desperate need. If we don’t move fast enough Setsuko AND Naraku will have won.” Inuyasha said with utter solemnity. 

Sango took a moment to come to terms with the situation and handed the small amount of antidote to Kagome; then rose to her feet.

“Inuyasha I need you to come with me.” Sango withdrew a small dried plant from her armor and handed it to him. “This is what we need. You’ll need to track its scent. I’ve only ever been told of this poison, and have never seen it in person. So I never thought to carry antidote for it…”

“Don’t worry. We’ll find it!” Inuyasha said confidently.

It was that moment that things decided to take a turn for the worse. Everyone’s eyes filled with dread as Inuyasha’s hair suddenly turned black, his dog ears disappeared, and his claws became ordinary nails. 

“No! No it can’t be!” Kagome rushed outside.

“What?! No not now!” Inuyasha looked at his hands and long hair.

“It’s a New Moon!” Kagome shouted as she rushed back in.

“I’m useless like this! I can’t sniff out the plant!”

“WAAAAAAAH! We have to do something! Brent’s dying!” Shippo squealed as Kirara whined between the two poisoned men.

“KOGA!” Kagome suddenly shouted. “Sango find Koga! He said he would be in the area! It’s our only chance at helping Brent! We’ll stay here and watch after them!”

“That stupid wolf won’t help Brent! Not after what you told me happened between them!” Inuyasha contradicted.

“We have to try! There’s no other option! Kirara!” Sango almost didn’t have to call to her Feline companion as she was already up and running out of the hut. “Kagome, split up the doses and try to make that medicine last. The Jewel Shard inside him is trying to help it seems. I’ll be back as soon as possible!” 

Now, with Brent’s life in her hands, Sango took to the air with Kirara. Not one second could be afforded to be lost. Miroku was strong, and could handle the poison inside him. There didn’t seem to be as many of those vile insects like in previous encounters. As she soared in the dark sky, Sango tried to keep an eye out for the Wolf Demon. Surely he would have picked up the scent of Naraku’s Demon; which she hoped would make finding him easier. 

The others were left there in the hut only to wait patiently, and fearfully. Kagome wiped foam from Brent’s mouth and helped to give him some medicine. His eyes were still rolled back; showing only white with little bloodshot streaks. The blood was wiped from his nose and the bite on his arm. After bandaging the bite Kagome stared at him with sheer sorrow.

“Brent…I’m so sorry…You don’t deserve this…”

“He’ll be fine. Sango will be back with the proper medicine to help him, and with any luck, some for Miroku too. Brent is strong. Don’t worry.” Inuyasha said reassuringly.

“…I just can’t help it. I want to do more…”

And so they sat there waiting as time crawled by. Kagome and Shippo remained hopeful even if they looked the opposite. Inuyasha, being as stubborn as he was, refused to believe there was any chance of failure. They all knew Sango was moving as fast as she could. The only problem now was…was it fast enough to catch Koga?


	22. The Unwilling Hunt

Hidden among a different part of the dense forest at the base of the mountain, Setsuko was grinning like a Cheshire Cat. She walked along holding her Brother’s Tanto, which was still slathered red and dripped with Brent’s blood. Holding it up before herself she stared at it as she licked the blood from her fangs.

“Mmmmmm…It’s a shame I’ll be unable to feast on his corpse, but at least I have this to savor…” Setsuko hummed as she gently licked one side of the blade clean. The look on her face changed to one of longing as she thought of her brother. “Brent will be dead in a few hours. I gave him an extra helping of my venom just for you Tokage.”

Turning the blade in her hand she slowly licked clean the last bit of blood and relished it. Such flavor…It did make her regret not sinking her teeth into his neck. There was a hint of sweetness to Brent’s blood; the kind that she always sought after when hunting prey. Though after seeing that loathsome human wielding her brother’s Tanto, which he used to skin his prey, she had to make sure he suffered. She remembered how he had screamed when Tokage had sunk his teeth into him. Brent’s screams would be far worse right now, and music to her ears. Right about now the venom would be affecting his entire body. He would be paralyzed, and anywhere there was pain to be felt would be agonizingly torturous. The paralysis would keep him from communicating his pain. There was no way any of his friends would be able to help him! And yet she began to wonder what that strange glow was in Brent’s chest. Was that where the source of this power was that Naraku had told her about? Whatever power he had wouldn’t be able to save him now. The symptoms from her venom would only grow worse as time went on. A great deal of twisted happiness began to swell inside her; bringing back that sick smile.

“He’ll be wishing he was dead sooner…that he’d given up and never committed the crime…hehehe…I may just dig his corpse up and use it as an example for those that wish to test me! Hehehehe---HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

High in the sky, moving the opposite direction, were Sango and Kirara. Both of them looking around for any sign of Koga. With night having taken over, Sango was hoping to catch the glow of a fire. 

“He has to be somewhere nearby! Surely he would have caught the scent of Naraku’s…That’s it! Kirara! Head back to the mountain!”

Kirara roared and changed direction with the same determination as her Master. Although the moon was unable to cast its gentle light, the duo was able to see well enough. And with nothing to hide under on the mountain anyone could be easily spotted. Sango could only hope she was right as they approached the portion of the mountain where they had been attacked. Drawing closer and closer, she had to squint to try to make out something she saw up on the plateau. Those looked like…wolves!

“Hey Koga! Isn’t that the Demon Hunter who hangs out with Kagome?” Ginta pointed up into the sky as they descended closer.

“What’s she doing here?” Hakkaku looked up.

Koga had picked up many scents along the plateau, but the most prominent was the stench that was similar to Naraku. So…Inuyasha and his friends had a fight here…He barely heard Ginta because of his trance. It wasn’t until Sango and Kirara touched down that he realized they had visitors. The large pack of wolves that roamed with them knew better to attack, let alone growl. This woman was friends with Kagome and was not to be touched.

“Koga! I desperately need your help!” Sango pleaded as she leaped down off of Kirara.

“What do you need me for Demon Hunter? Tired of that Inuyasha’s annoying bark?” Koga crossed his arms and smirked.

“No! Two of us were poisoned during an attack, one worse than the other!”

This caught Koga’s attention since Kagome was nowhere to be seen. A small bit a anxiety surged in his eyes. “What?! Was Kagome poisoned? Is she OK?!”

“Kagome is fine. Brent was poisoned badly as well as Miroku and I need more-“

“Whoa whoa whoa! You want me to help save that twerpy little human? No way! He can die for all I care!” Koga immediately turned tail and began to walk away.

This was bad…If the first meeting between him and Brent had only gone better Koga might have been more agreeable…

“Koga! Those are Kagome’s friends!” Ginta ran towards his leader.

“Yeah! Think of how upset she’ll be if they die!” Hakkaku’s words gave Sango an idea and she called out to the Wolf Leader again.

“If you turn your back on me, and they die, Kagome will NEVER forgive you!” Sango shouted.

This made Koga stop. His arms fell to his sides as the realization struck him. He could see it happening…Kagome standing in front of two graves, crying hysterically. Koga reached out to her only for her to disappear. Then her voice rang out…

“IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT! I WILL NEVER LOVE YOU!”

“KOGA!” Sango’s voice brought him back to reality as he turned toward her. She said that it was Brent and the Monk who were poisoned…so where was Inuyasha?

“Why isn’t the mutt able to help?” Koga’s question came off as cold.

“It’s the Night of the New Moon. Inuyasha’s Demonic powers are gone for the night, and we don’t have time to lose! Miroku will more than likely beat the poison, but Brent will die in a matter of hours if we don’t move! Please Koga!”

The Wolf Demon gave a sigh of resignation looking utterly annoyed. “Just so we’re clear. I’m doing this for Kagome. I don’t want to see her upset, and if saving that pathetic human keeps her happy then so be it!”

Sango reached into her armor and withdrew the herb that she needed to find for Brent. Smiling sincerely, she handed it to Koga. “Thank you so much! This is what we need to find. Can you track it?”

“Of course I can!” Gently taking in the scent of the herb, he grimaced at the smell. “Ugh! It smells terrible!” Koga gave the herb back and stepped to the edge of the plateau. “This will go faster if I carry you.” He looked back with that same annoyed gaze.

“Kirara, go back to the others and help watch over Miroku and Brent, and be careful!” The large Demon Feline nodded with a small whine as Sango gently rubbed her furry cheek. Kirara took off running and soared into the air back towards the old hut in the forest.

“Alright Demon Hunter, get on my back.” Koga went down on one knee and let Sango climb on to his back. “You guys get back down into the forest. I’ll be back later!”

“Don’t get yourself killed!” Ginta yelled.

“Bring back some dinner!” Hakakku shouted as the unlikely duo jumped down and out of sight.

Back at the abandoned hut, tension filled the quiet atmosphere. Brent’s condition had not changed after Kagome had given him some medicine earlier. His eyes were still rolled back, but his bleeding had stopped at least. The glow in Brent’s chest wasn’t unnoticed by anyone. It was the signal of hope they needed since they knew the shard was trying to ease Brent’s pain.

“I can’t stand this! There’s got to be something else we can do!” Shippo pulled his hair in anguish.

“There’s nothing we can do right now so settle down.” Inuyasha said rather bluntly.

“This is terrible…Poor Brent…Why did Setsuko have to get Naraku involved in all this?” Kagome couldn’t take her eyes off of her older friend. 

Miroku groaned next to Brent as he grimaced. The poison in his body may not be as severe, but it still created a fight for survival.

“Miroku! Do you need some medicine?” Shippo asked as he hopped over.

“N-n-no. Save it…for Brent… nnng!” Miroku grunted.

It was that moment that things decided to go from worse to nightmarish. Brent starts to hack and cough while his body shakes. As Kagome goes for the medicine she and Shippo are momentarily repulsed as their friend coughs up blood.

“Quick! Give him some more!” Inuyasha left his spot near the wall to hold Brent down.

Even after giving him some medicine, Inuyasha had to continue holding him for a minute before his seizure finally stopped.

“I hope Sango found Koga…we can’t stave off this poison forever…” Kagome wiped the blood from Brent’s pale face.

“Guys…did the light from Brent dim a little? Or is it just me?” Shippo was staring intently at the glow.

“It did…It isn’t as bright as it was before!” Inuyasha could tell the difference.

The bright glow had just turned from a beacon of hope, to a life-threatening timer. If the shard’s lustrous light disappeared it would surely spell Brent’s death. Kagome looked to Inuyasha with a pleading and desperate look. If there was any time she had wished for the New Moon to be a joke it was now. 

Inuyasha stared back at Kagome and tried to look strong even though his looks proved otherwise. He may not have been too worried before, but now he was. To top it off he felt totally useless. Speed, strength, and sense of smell and hearing were all taken from him as the night played its cruel prank. Why now?! A promise was made and now he couldn’t keep it! If Brent died Inuyasha would never be able to forgive himself because he would also fail Kagome. What kind of trouble would she be in if he died in her care?

The speed that they were moving at was incredible. Sango was barely able to hold on to Koga as he darted past the trees with precision. It did help that he helped hold on to her, but there was nothing to be done about the stinging in her eyes from the air.

“The scent is coming from this direction! I’m sure of it! It’s only growing stronger!” Koga leaped over a fallen tree.

“Good! I hope there’s enough of it! We need as much as we can get!” Sango closed her eyes to protect them from the stinging breeze. She wasn’t sure how much ground they had covered, but considering they had been running for a while Koga’s speed should have taken them a great distance.

Of all the things he could be doing right now Koga would rather be tearing Naraku’s head off. It had been a long time since he had found the scent, but now he had to help find this foul smelling herb to save that little jerk of a human. The sooner this herb was found, the better. “It’s not far off now! We’re close!”

Koga forced his legs to work harder; getting fast enough to nearly lose Sango. There was a clearing up ahead. That was it! That’s where the scent was coming from! Breaking through the tree line Koga hit the brakes and slid to a stop. As Sango opened her eyes and got off Koga’s back she was met with what seemed to be a miracle. Before them was an entire garden; sprawling with all types of herbs and plants. 

“This is incredible! I can take stock of the things to help Brent and Miroku and more!” Sango rushed forward to start picking.

“Yeah yeah, just make it quick alright?” Koga crossed his arms; already bored.

There was a whole line of the herb that would help cure Brent. The abundance was so great that she could stock for if he was bit several times over! Miroku would be cured overnight for sure with how much there was for his ailment. However, a new problem arose. Though Sango pulled with her might, the small plants would not budge from their fertile soil.

“Why can’t I extract these?” Sango kept trying to pull one of the flora out.

“Perhaps you should have asked yourself who it is that tends to this garden.”

The soft yet strange voice put the Demon Slayer and Wolf Leader on full alert. Leaves rustled from the trees, and slowly someone came into view. It was lowered down by branches that seemed impossibly flexible. The figure was also similar to a log, yet rotund. Bark made its skin, and spindly arms and fingers resembled branches and twigs. Vines wrapped around its waist wildly as only a couple leaves poked from the top of its head.

“Who are you?!” Koga commanded as he went into his battle stance.

“I am the Demon Gardener. Why are you trying to steal my pretties? They will not be plucked unless I bid it so.” The living log-like Demon sounded more sad than upset.

“I don’t mean to steal them, but I’m in desperate need of their potency! Two of my friends have been poisoned badly! Please, with your permission I wish to take some!” Sango fell to her knees and pleaded.

“Hmmmmm…You are being rather sincere. And with you being a Demon Hunter you would know how to use them. Very well. You may take only what you need.” The Gardener remained stoic as he nodded.

“Oh thank you! Thank you so much!” Sango was unbelievably happy. She had succeeded!

A small chittering noise caught the attention of the Gardener and he heaved a great sigh. It was right as Sango tried to pull up the herb to help Miroku; and it remained rooted in place.

“I hate to ask you of this. But I will need YOUR help.” The Gardener turned to his guests.

“What do you mean? Just give us what we came for!” Koga said impatiently.

“We don’t have time! My friends are dying!” Sango stood up looking annoyed.

“If you do not help me, my garden will be destroyed, and I will die along with it. And if that happens then your friends may very well die as well. It takes all my strength to plant this garden. And when these creatures attempt to devour my pretties it drains me almost completely. Please, protect my garden.” The Gardener said calmly.

“You gotta be kidding me!” Koga shouted in disbelief.

There was no alternative. Sango withdrew her sword and took a firm grip of the hilt. If this was what it took to save Miroku and Brent then she would act quickly and move swiftly. Her eyes narrowed as hundreds of little beady yellow eyes stared back from the darkness beyond the trees. The clock was ticking, and with each second the glow in Brent’s chest dimmed bit by bit.


	23. With All Haste

“Where are they?! This is taking too long and Brent keeps getting worse!” Shippo said as Kagome wiped fresh blood from Brent’s nose.

Nothing but gloom filled the tiny abandoned hut. Kirara had arrived not long ago was lying down between the two poisoned men and was looking just a depressed as everyone else. The longer it took for Sango and Koga to return the worse Brent’s condition became. Blood would ooze from his nose every so often. Every now and then his body would twitch. His eyes would sometimes move, but never left the back of his head. Small whimpers sometimes emanated from his lips, but he was too crippled to talk. Everyone was becoming increasingly worried with every second that passed by.

“How long has it been since Sango left?” Kagome asked as she pet Kirara.

“I don’t know…” Inuyasha shifted around the sheathed Tetsaiga on his hip.

“Sango will make it back with Koga! I know she wi-AGH!” Shippo was cut off as heavy wheezing breaths filled the tiny hut. A new symptom afflicted Brent as Kagome went for the medicine.

“Oh no…This is the last bit of what Sango left!” Kagome held up the last bit of medicine. It was such a measly amount! Would it help at all? She gave Brent the medicine and everyone held their breath. It took a couple minutes but his breathing finally returned to normal. The glow from his chest was only half as bright as it was from earlier and wasn’t getting any brighter. “They need to hurry up…There’s nothing we can do now…”

While Kagome and the others were tending to Brent, Sango and Koga were in the middle of defending the plants of the Demon Gardener. At least one hundred little Demonic Mice were rushing toward the herbs squeaking their heads off in excitement at the feast before them. All of them had tiny glowing yellow eyes and sharp teeth to cut the plants up. Sango was relying on her sword to slice the little pests. She had left her large boomerang with the others, and it was a good decision since its size would have caused her attacks to be much slower. Koga used his speed to kick the little critters; sending them flying and ensuring they would not be getting back up. As the unlikely pair took to circling the garden, the Gardener summoned forth vines to smack away any intruders that managed to get past Koga and Sango. Their strategy seemed to be working rather well for the moment.

“I can’t believe I’ve been reduced to an exterminator! This is demeaning you know! NNNYAH!” Koga loosed a sweep kick that gave flying lessons to a small group of the mice.

“Koga we don’t have a choice! NNG! Lives are at stake!” Sango stabbed one of the mice that slipped by. The moment it disappeared she took another swing and cut several down as they drew close. 

“I’ve never had help before. This is so much easier with you two here.” Two vines tossed some of the pests away as the Gardener looked around for more unwanted guests.

“Oh yeah we’re really happy to help! Back off vermin!” Koga ran through a group of mice and stomped them all as he sarcastically replied. 

“Just think of Kagome and stop complaining Koga!” The Demon Hunter shouted as she sliced up another group.

The trio didn’t notice at first, but the squeaks and chitters from the Demonic Mice were growing…almost becoming more hateful. When the hundreds of beady yellow eyes suddenly turned red, Koga and Sango knew things were about to get worse. 

“Oh dear…They’ve become irate again…” The Gardener sounded nonplussed. 

The Demon Mice changed their focus entirely and started to attack their aggressors! They began to leap up onto Sango even as she cut a few down in midair, and slapped them off of her body. It was far more difficult for them furious critters to land on Koga; his speed proved too much for them to handle. And when they realized this…more of them swarmed toward Sango.

“NNNG! I need help!”

Try as she might there were far too many for her to handle. Vines swooped across her body and started to knock the mice off of her, but without inflicting any damage to them they would just jump back on her.

“Hold still! These little pests aren’t as angry as I am!”

Koga leaped over the garden of herbs and grabbed a hold of Sango. While it was incredibly dizzying for her, the Wolf Demon held tight as he spun around; creating a miniature tornado in the same fashion as when he runs it. Unable to maintain their grip on the woman, all the mice were sent in all directions. Some crashed into trees and stopped moving while others disappeared beyond the trees. As the tornado disappeared to reveal its occupants, Sango had to take a moment to recover from the intense spinning. 

“Thank you…Koga…”

“Eh yeah yeah. You OK?”

“I will be…wait…look!”

All the remaining mice were retreating back into the haven of trees; squeaking in terror. They had finally realized they would not win this fight.

“OK! They’re gone now! Can we get the herbs and get out of here now?” Koga’s impatience showed no mercy.

“Thank you so much. Both of you. Here you are.” The Gardener had already plucked up the herbs Sango tried to get earlier. It was more than enough to help Brent and Miroku!

“Thank you! Thank you so much!” Sango accepted them graciously as her vertigo seemed to have withdrawn.

“You are welcome my dear. I hate to say it but it looks like I must find a new place to plant my pretties. You two run along. Help your friends. I will never forget your kindness.” The Gardener was talking to Sango mostly as she smiled back at him.

“I can never forget yours either! Again, thank you!” Sango climbed onto Koga’s back once more, and once her grip was secure they took off and were gone in an instant. “Can you find the way back?” Sango asked her carrier.

“Don’t worry! I can smell that stupid mutt anywhere! His stench was all through the forest!” Koga picked up the pace and pushed himself as hard as he could. This was for Kagome. He just had to keep telling himself that. Kagome. Kagome.

The situation at the hut however…was growing direr. Brent’s nose wouldn’t stop bleeding, his convulsions had returned, and foam had reappeared in his mouth. To top all of that off, the glow from his chest was so terribly close to going out. The shard was losing its effectiveness. Setsuko’s venom was winning and there was nothing left to help hold it back. Kagome and Shippo were in a panic and Inuyasha was trying to do whatever he could to calm them down.

“Inuyasha there’s nothing we can do! He’s going to die if they don’t get back! It’s getting worse and worse!” Kagome wailed with tears in her eyes.

“We-e…can’t…l-let him…die-e-e-e-e!” Shippo had lost all composure and was bawling his eyes out.

“Brent is not gonna die! Sango will show up! You gotta have faith in her!” Inuyasha then turned to Brent. “Don’t you dare die on me! You hear me! You’re stronger than this! FIGHT!!! What the…AHH!”

A new grotesque symptom occurred as the Half-Demon tried to talk to his poisoned friend. One that threw even Inuyasha off. Blood began to stream down the sides of Brent’s head from his eyes.

“No! No no no not like this!” Kagome leaned closer as she pleaded with fate.

“EVERYONE GET BACK!” Sango burst into the hut and didn’t even stop to look at Brent. She had heard them all from outside and knew Brent’s state would be horrendous. Taking a seat at his side she pulled the herbs out and began to grind them up. Kirara had to quickly leap away as her Master took her spot between Brent and Miroku.

“Kagome what are you crying ab-what the?!” Koga had walked in after hearing Kagome’s sobbing, and when he saw Brent he stopped cold. 

The poor young man was conlvusing, bleeding from his nose, eyes, foaming at the mouth, and his eyes were rolled back. What the hell happened to him?! Koga couldn’t look away. For a brief moment he started to feel sorry for him as he watched Kagome cry.

“What happened to him?!” The Wolf Demon managed to blurt out.

“Not now Koga!” The black-haired Inuyasha snapped at him. Koga was about to say something right back, but Inuyasha put his back to the Wolf and watched with everyone else as Sango worked.

Even though she was working as fast as she could to properly make the cure it seemed as though it was taking ages to do so. The glow in Brent’s chest was almost gone. Whether it would last another minute, or only a few seconds, preyed on everyone’s minds. Sango finally finished creating the cure to the venom coursing through her friend and quickly gave it to him. It was difficult with the foam his mouth produced, but she managed to get him to ingest it. She took some extra medicine she made, and unwrapped the bandages on his arm to apply some there as well. Everyone watched and waited breathlessly; even Koga had stepped forward to see. 

The gentle glow from Brent’s chest finally went out. Kagome gasped in shock and started shaking her head. Just seconds after, Brent’s convulsions stopped, his eyes rolled forward and immediately shut, and his head fell to the side. It was deadly silent in the hut until Shippo spoke.

“Is…Is he???” 

With a tear streaked face, and hope in eyes, Shippo and everyone else held their breath as Sango put an ear to his chest. When she sat back up, she gave a small relieved smile.

“His heart is beating slowly, but he’s OK…”

“Oh Sango! You did it!” Kagome reached across and hugged her tightly. Then stood up and hugged Koga. “And you too Koga! Thank you so much!”

The hug caught him off guard for a moment, but his arms found their way around her to hold her gently. “Anything for you Kagome.”

Inuyasha scoffed at this and turned away. “Sango…Good job. We almost lost him.”

“As he said before…I couldn’t just let him die.” The Demon Hunter smiled as she prepared medicine for Miroku. “He will need a few days to rest though. So we’ll be here a while.”

“So what’s your excuse for letting Kagome’s friend nearly die like that Inutrasha?” Koga was already smirking when Inuyasha turned around to face him.

“If you can’t tell then I guess I’ll spell it out for you. I don’t have my Demonic Powers you stupid wolf!”

“Another reason why HALF-Demons are inferior to us real Demons! They become totally useless at the worst times!”

“Oh just you wait…When my powers come back-“

“WILL YOU PLEASE STOP?!” Kagome screamed.

Not only did the two rivals cease their argument, but everyone else looked her way too.

“We’ve all done nothing but get in fights lately with each other AND with others! Just STOP! Brent nearly died and you two are trying to see who is better?! Grow up!” The modern day schoolgirl stormed out of the hut and left everyone speechless.

“Great…She’s mad again…” Shippo said quietly.

“I’ll go talk to her…and apologize…I guess…” Koga stepped outside while Inuyasha stood there unsure of what to say or do.

Kagome stood only a few feet away from dimly lit hut; her arms around her midsection. She stared at the ground as if it held a hidden message somewhere. Nothing had gone right since their arrival in the Feudal Era. Why was this happening? If only Hisao were more well-known…

“Hey. Kagome.” Koga walked up next to her and spoke softly. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to upset you.”

“Don’t worry about it Koga.”

“Can I just ask one thing? What’s so special about that foreigner?” 

“You have no idea what he’s been through and what he’s done since he came here.” Kagome broke her staring contest with the grass and looked up. “He saved my life.” 

Koga then learned of all Brent’s heroic feats, the pain he has suffered, the sacrifices he made, and about Setsuko’s relentless attacks to take revenge. By the end the Wolf Demon was beginning to think differently of the young man. What stuck with him was the fact that Brent risked his life for Kagome…his bride to be. 

“Seems like he’s not so bad after all.” Koga didn’t sound too enthusiastic, but was genuine with the semi-compliment.

“He’s a really nice guy. Just has a really bad luck streak right now. Anyway, I should get back inside.”

“Kagome wait. I’m going to tell Ginta and Hakkaku what’s going and get them fed. The freeloaders expect me to do the hunting.” Koga rolled his eyes. “I’ll come back in the morning. I want to be sure my hard work paid off.”

“OK Koga. Stay safe.”

“You know me! Nothing can beat me!”

Disappearing into the night, Koga took off as Kagome stepped back into the hut.

“So he’s gone then?” Inuyasha asked.

“Yes. He’ll be back tomorrow.”

“Oh great…”

“Inuyasha…” Kagome’s tone gave Inuyasha chills as he expected another ‘Sit’ command. But she just sighed and lay down. “There’s no point…You never learn…”

“Wha-What’s that supposed to mean!?”

“Inuyasha I think maybe you should just leave it alone. Let Kagome cool down.” Sango quietly suggested as she placed a towel on Miroku’s forehead.

“Yeah! You owe her an apology too!” Shippo whispered.

With the worst of the day over, Inuyasha rolled his eyes at the unwanted advice and sat back against the wall. Kagome was right though…and he should say sorry, but he decided to wait as suggested. She was already snoozing lightly. As everyone else fell asleep around him the Half-Demon sat there pondering. With no leads on Hisao’s location just how much longer could they keep this up?


	24. Remorseful Healing

The past two days had been extremely tiring; Setsuko had seen to that. With the dawn of a new day it was a welcome sight to see everyone resting. Inuyasha sat against the wall; awake all night just like all the previous times the New Moon had graced him. His hair had turned white again, the dog ears had returned along with his claws, and all his strength was back. 

“Good. Now I’ll actually be able to accomplish something.” He stared at his claws and imagined Setsuko on the other end of them.

As much as he hated to admit it, Brent had turned out to be right. The Lizard Demon had in fact turned out to be much more clever than anticipated. And if she was willing to use one of them to get Brent alone…how long would it be before Kagome ended up as bait? The Half-Demon’s fist clenched angrily. He would not let that happen! Kagome would not get hurt; not on his watch! And he would everything within his power to keep Brent safe!

Soon everyone began to awaken except for Brent. The young man hadn’t moved or made a sound all night. Miroku was the slowest to wake; Sango’s medicine had worked in curing him but left him a bit weak.

“Miroku. How are you feeling?” Inuyasha asked.

“Ugh…better…but not great…” The Monk held his head as he sat up.

“Mmmmm…Morning everyone…” Kagome groggily rubbed her eyes then yawned. “Is Koga back yet?”

“No…the mangy wolf isn’t here.” Inuyasha looked at the door as if to see him rush in at that exact moment.

“How is Brent doing?” Kagome kneeled next to him.

As Sango wiped the sleepiness from her eyes she checked on Brent. “He’s doing fine. The poison was eradicated from his body. We should change his bandages though.”

Brent lay there with his shirt unbuttoned and wide open. The bandages around his belly were still stained with blood from last night just like on his arm where the bite was. Kagome had wiped his face from all the blood he wept before they had gone to sleep.

“I’ll work on his bandages. Can you and Shippo get some water? I have some bottles in my bag.” Kagome had pulled her backpack over and was pulling out fresh bandages when Shippo ran over eagerly.

“We’ll be back before you know it!” Kirara mewled as she walked up behind the eager little Fox.

With several bottles in his arms, Shippo was followed by Sango and her faithful Feline as he sped outside. “I’m sure Miroku is thirsty! And Brent will need all he can get!” Sango giggled at the little Fox as he huffed and puffed along the way.

Inuyasha was helping Kagome by holding Brent up as she unwrapped his bandages. When they saw the stab wound both of them felt sorry for him. Had it not been for the shard the wound might have still been bleeding. Taking great care with some anti-septic wipes from her pack, Kagome wiped around the lesion. 

“Setsuko will pay for this. He didn’t deserve this.”

“Kagome…” Inuyasha was surprised by the anger she was suddenly displaying.

“It’s not fair! Why did she have to be so cruel?!”

“She has nothing but revenge clouding her mind.” Miroku caught their attention as he sat against the wall looking tired. “So long as she believes Brent killed her brother she will not stop. Though…”

“Though what?” Inuyasha continued holding up his wounded ally as Kagome applied clean bandages.

“Setsuko could have killed Brent the moment they were alone. Instead she left him to suffer thinking he would die from her venomous bite. If she believes him to be dead-“

“-Then that will give us time to find Hisao!” Kagome realized.

“Precisely. However, this won’t last forever. Eventually she may find that Brent is still alive. Naraku’s Saimyosho will most certainly aid with that.” The Monk replied with a look of worry.

“Then that means we need to move fast! Ow!” With one hand Inuyasha slapped the side of his neck. Amidst the slap of flesh there was a small grunt of pain. When he removed his hand a small flattened bug gently fluttered down to the floor flattened like a pancake. “Oh great. Miyoga is here.” Inuyasha said with no enthusiasm.

“Oof! It’s good to see you too Master Inuyasha!” The tiny flea popped back into shape and hopped onto his Lord’s leg. “I see you have a new member in your little party! Seems to me he’s seen better days…is he a foreigner?” Miyoga peered over at Brent as Kagome finished with wrapping his belly.

“He’s from my time Miyoga. We’re trying to get him back there, but it’s been incredibly difficult so far.” Kagome sighed.

“Long story short, the portal back home has sealed. So now we’re trying to find someone named Hisao who can tell us what’s going on.” Miroku jumped in.

“Hisao you say? The All-Knowing Demon?” Miyoga scratched his tiny head.

“Sounds like you know something Miyoga. Spill it. We’ve been searching blindly for days now!” Inuyasha shot him an angry look.

“Hisao is a recluse. He avoids others, humans and Demons alike, because they always seek him for some reason or another. It is because of this that he moves around a lot.” Miyoga spoke calmly with folded arms.

Kagome was looking down again however upon hearing this. “So…are you saying we won’t be able to find him?”

The young schoolgirl started to picture Brent and herself stuck in the Feudal Era. Years pass and Brent is barely able to stand from constant attacks on his life. Inuyasha and the others always on guard and weary. By that point she imagined Naraku in the mix which made hiding and fighting even greater in difficulty. And then the day comes…when the Jewel Shard is snatched from her friend’s chest and he lay there dead before her…

“I did not say you wouldn’t be able to find him.” Miyoga corrected Kagome. This quickly brought her out of her slump as she smiled widely.

“Please tell us you know where he is!” The schoolgirl clasped her hands together as she stared at the tiny flea with big hopeful eyes.

“I’m afraid I don’t know his exact location, but I have come to learn recently that he has taken refuge in the mountains nearby…”

“Are you serious!? We might have found him today by accident if Setsuko hadn’t crippled Brent!” Inuyasha shouted in disbelief.

“Who is Setsuko?” The flea asked curiously.

“She is a Lizard Demon after Brent for the death of her brother, whom she blames. It was actually Inuyasha.” Miroku said.

“Ooooh. That would explain the injuries. Poor fellow. Well, I just came by to see how you were all getting along. I’ll be on my way-NYEOWOWOW!”

Inuyasha had snatched up his tiny servant and was holding him between his index finger and thumb threateningly. “Oh no you don’t Miyoga! You’re gonna show us where Hisao is! This has taken way too long!”

“I told you Lord Inuyasha! I don’t know exactly where he is! It’s all just rumors! GYEAH!” Miyoga flailed wildly in protest; not wanting to be squished.

“Inuyasha let him go! He’s already done a lot by telling us Hisao is in the mountains!” Kagome pleaded.

“Oh alright…”

Falling from the grip, the flea landed on the floor and bounded toward the door. “I hope you find Hisao! Good bye!”

“Thanks again Miyoga!” Kagome called as the little speck bounded out the door.

“He would run away from the fighting anyway. That or whine.” Inuyasha huffed.

It wasn’t long after that Sango, Kirara, and Shippo returned with all the bottles filled with fresh water. The eager little Fox rushed to Miroku and handed him a bottle, and was properly thanked. Shippo left a couple more next to the Monk, and took the remaining bottles over to Brent.

“He’s still out huh?” Shippo looked at him sadly.

“Didn’t move all night.” Inuyasha replied.

“I wouldn’t expect him to. It may be a couple days before he does. That poison is an absolute nightmare…all the pain caused by it too…” Sango sat next to Miroku seeming upset.

“How severe is it?” Shippo and everyone else were now looking to the Demon Hunter concerned.

“I couldn’t say. Anyone who was lucky enough to survive it didn’t want to describe it…but others would always say you could see it in their eyes…” Sango didn’t even look up. 

“Brent will be fine though! He’s tough like Inuyasha! Twenty Demons couldn’t even lay a scratch on him before!” Shippo looking confident as he smiled; remembering when they had saved the Ninja village.

“And yet it only took one of Naraku’s Demons to get him alone with the one who wants him dead…I blame myself…” Inuyasha looked away and over towards Brent’s Tanegashima. It laid on the floor behind Kagome’s backpack.

“What? Why would you do that?” Kagome didn’t get an answer for Koga had just appeared in the doorway.

“Hey Kagome! You doin’ OK?” The Wolf Demon stood there looking arrogant as ever. His hands on his hips and a smile on face in a show to make himself look like the Alpha.

“Oh, hey Koga. Yeah. I’m alright…” 

“What about him? He’s not dead is he?” Koga nodded toward the human he unwillingly helped save.

“Hey! Why don’t you show a little more concern? Kagome’s worried sick about him!” Inuyasha jumped up and grew face-to-face with his rival.

“And that’s why I agreed to help Sango last night. I didn’t see you out there trying to find that foul scented stuff for him! All because you lost your Demonic powers again. So useless.” Koga ruthlessly retorted.

“If it I HAD been out there I’d definitely have gotten it faster than you!” Inuyasha bared his teeth.

“Oh please! You’re so slow he’d have died choking on his own blood before you made it back! I’m willing to be he’s like this because of you and your ‘lack of power’!”

That was the last straw for Inuyasha. He didn’t want to start a fight in front of Kagome, so instead he opted to shove past the Wolf and outside…silently. Koga had struck the wrong nerve.

“Inuyasha! Wait!” Kagome hopped up and ran for the door.

“Don’t worry about him Kagome. It’s pointless.”

“I don’t understand how you can be so mean!” Sliding past Koga, leaving him confused, Kagome ran after her friend. 

“Tactless as ever Koga…” Miroku said.

“What did I say?” The Wolf Demon barely heard the Monk as he watched the woman he loved run into the woods.

“Inuyasha stop!” Kagome shouted as she ran after the Half-Demon.

Grudgingly, he came to a stop but left his back to face Kagome. When she caught up she stepped up beside him only to see a look of shame on his face.

“Inuyasha…What’s wrong?”

He stood there silently for a moment before he decided to answer. “It’s my fault Brent was injured so badly.”

“What do you mean? You were trying to protect him! That black fog back there blinded all of us!”

“Kagome…I tried to grab him when he was being dragged off…and I only ended up taking away the weapon that could have saved him all that suffering.” Inuyasha kept his eyes hidden by his long hair as he stared down.

“No! Don’t you start talking like that! You didn’t do that on purpose!”

“Ever since he got here he’s been through hell! At every turn he’s been pulled away leaving me unable to help him! If he dies you end up in serious trouble and I break my promise…”

“Inuyasha…I don’t worry about him dying because I’ll get in trouble. I worry because he’s my friend. That’s the only reason you should worry too! Hasn’t he proven himself?”

“Yes…he has…but I’ve done nothing…”

“That’s a lie and you know it! You kept that Ice Creature from taking him, carried him back to the village when he was bitten, and went to search on your own when he and Shippo went missing! You do more than you think! Even now, you’re watching over him and making sure he recovers before anything else happens. Don’t let Koga get to you.”

Kagome then took a gentle hold of his hand; which made him finally look up and into her eyes. Those beautiful eyes were as stunning as Kikyo’s…And her wondrous smile always did seem to calm him a bit.

“Kagome…I’m sorry…for yesterday with Koga…”

“It’s OK Inuyasha. You two always get into a squabble, and with everything that’s been happening…it just kinda all stacked together. I shouldn’t have blown up. Come on. Let’s go back.”

And with that she led the way to the dilapidated hut; Inuyasha’s hand still within hers as he followed behind. Koga was still inside when they came back; standing silently against the wall.

“So you brought him back! Get all your tears out-“ Inuyasha stepped forward and kept Koga from finishing.

“Listen very carefully. I’m done fighting with you. Whatever problems we have can wait. It’s been far too chaotic lately and I need my focus elsewhere. Not on you. If you want to insult me go ahead. Just remember that you’ll be the one dealing with Kagome if you get out of line.” The Half-Demon remained totally calm, and came off as stern and mature; which was definitely rare for him. 

“Pffft. Whatever mutt.” Koga waved him off and headed for the door, but turned back as he held the doorframe. “Kagome, I’ll be staying nearby. I’m not going anywhere until I know your friend up and about. Besides, he owes me thanks.”

“Sure Koga. Take care of yourself.” The schoolgirl mustered up her best smile even though she was still mad the Wolf a bit.

“Always do!” A gust of wind blew into tiny room as a miniature tornado appeared and quickly sped into the distance through the trees.

“At least we’ll have an extra set of eyes around in case anything happens.” Miroku said after a gulp of water.

Kirara walked up to Brent as he lay on the floor and mewled after poking at him on the shoulder. When she received no response the small Feline hopped onto his chest lightly and decided to curl up. She knew he was alive, but only barely. So she wanted to do her part and watch over him like Sango and the others. All day Kirara was around Brent as the others took turns trying to get him to drink and keep him comfortable. It seemed to drag on as though it would never end; leaving them all to watch over the young man for eternity as if we would never awaken. But the day finally would come to an end as the curtain of night closed over Feudal Japan. No attacks, no suspicious events. When Miroku, Sango, and Shippo were updated about Miyoga’s visit they all seemed to have their spirits lifted. Especially Shippo who was beginning to look up to Brent as a role model. Soon they all gave in to their desires of slumber; of all who needed it most was Inuyasha after having remained awake the previous night. Hopefully, their injured friend would wake up, and they could act on the newly found information they had sought after from the very start of their journey.


	25. Rise and Shine

Shippo’s eyes lazily opened as the sound of light movements only barely woke up. Slowly he sat up, and after his eyes adjusted, he saw Sango and Kirara stepping outside. It was still very early in the morning; the trees helped hide the hut from the rising sun.

“Sango? Wha…What are you doing?” The little Fox asked with a great big yawn.

She turned around and smiled at the child. “I’m just going to see if I can get more herbs. Go back to sleep Shippo.”

“OK…” And just like that he flopped onto his back; lightly snoring in seconds.

Stifling a giggle, Sango left the hut as her Feline companion grew in size with a burst of flame. Ascending high above the treetops, Sango and Kirara took off in hopes of finding the Demon Gardener again.

By the time the rest of the group had woken up, the sun had reached high enough to pour in light through the doorway. Brent was still in his comatose state, which prompted Shippo to check on him. He put his ear to Brent’s chest and heard the slow beat of the strained heart.

“He’s OK…I wish he’d wake up soon…”

“Don’t worry Shippo. Brent will come around. Say…where did Sango leave to?” Miroku asked as he got to his feet. The Monk had made a full recovery and was back to normal.

“She said she was going to try and find more stuff for medicine.” Shippo sat down and leaned against Brent.

“I hope she brings back plenty. We don’t need either of you getting poisoned again.” Kagome said looking up at Miroku.

“Well, if you all don’t mind I’m going to step outside for a moment. I’d like to get out of this hut for a bit.” Miroku grabbed his staff and made his exit.

“Inuyasha, could you help me with Brent? I want him to have a clean shirt when he wakes up. It’s gotten rather bloody.” Kagome asked.

Replying with a nod the Half-Demon helped gently lift Brent up so his shirt could be removed. The only thing he wore on his upper body now were the white bandages that wrapped around his stomach.

“I’ll show you where the river was!” Shippo said as he ran out the door. Kagome followed with the blood tinged shirt and hummed along the way.

Inuyasha was left there in the hut, and he had no intention of leaving, or letting Brent out of his sight. Nothing unfriendly was going to get by while he was defenseless. Positioning himself so he could see out the door, Inuyasha kept his senses on alert for even the smallest of noises. It was while everyone else was gone that he did pick something up. He heard it first and stood up ready to fight; his hand wrapped around the Tetsaiga’s handle. Then he caught the scent and relaxed, slightly, as Koga stepped inside.

“It’s you…” Inuyasha groaned.

“Oh pipe down Inuyasha. I’m just here to check on Kagome…and him…geez he’s still out?” The Wolf raised his brow. “Maybe you guys oughta just put him out of his misery.”

“That’s not an option Koga. You know that.”

“Eh I don’t know…He seems practically dead to me.”

“He’s not dying on my watch! So leave it be!” Inuyasha raised his voice.

“Alright alright…” Koga rolled his eyes; seemingly unthreatened by his rival. “At least tell me he’s getting better.”

“He hasn’t moved at all. So we don’t really know.”

“Oh great, and then I’ll have helped for nothing!”

Inuyasha stepped forward ready to berate Koga, but Kagome appeared in the door with Shippo on her shoulder.

“Please tell me you two aren’t fighting again…” Kagome looked completely unenthused. 

“What? Noooo! We weren’t fighting!” Koga quickly went on the defensive.

“Good! Because I’m forbidding it inside this shack!”

The red shirt in the young girl’s hands was damp and darkened; still gently dripping from one sleeve. A hole in the wall, that had sunlight pouring through, became its perch to aid in it drying. Kagome took a seat near her unconscious friend to keep monitoring him after she set the wet shirt up. Shippo jumped down from her shoulder and grabbed a water bottle and proceeding to try and give some to Brent. He frowned as the water on spilled onto the wood.

“Well if…Brent…is going to stay like this then I’m leaving. I’m checking back tomorrow. I’ll see ya later Kagome.” 

“Yeah…see you Koga…” Kagome’s distant gaze and lackluster enthusiasm worried the Wolf Leader. Koga gave Inuyasha one last bit of eye contact as if to say ‘Fix this!’, and then sped off.

“Kagome…Are you OK?” The Half-Demon kneeled down next the young girl.

“No…I’m not…He hasn’t moved at all…” Kagome’s eyes focused on Brent entirely. “What if he is still dying? I don’t expect him to get better overnight…but it’s driving me crazy…”

Inuyasha couldn’t stand to see her like this. She looked completely defeated and helpless. “Stop worrying. He’ll be fine. Brent was strong enough to survive the poison. He’ll pull through.”

“The only reason he’s managed to get this far is because of the Jewel Shard. Inuyasha, it isn’t even glowing like it did before all this…” 

Now Inuyasha understood why she wouldn’t look up at him. She was staring at the Jewel Shard. It was the only thing she could count on to tell her how Brent was doing.

“But it IS glowing. So stick to that. He’ll wake up Kagome. I can feel it.”

Kagome finally looked up at their protector. His eyes blazed with certainty, but were also littered with sincerity and determination. A smile crept up on her lips, and she hugged Inuyasha. She felt even more reassured and uplifted as his arms wrapped around her.

“Thank you Inuyasha…”

“Am I interrupting anything?” Miroku suddenly appeared which caused the hugging duo to quickly break apart and act as if nothing happened.

“Fine time for you to show up Miroku. You missed Koga.” Inuyasha scoffed.

“Oh good. I missed the inevitable fight.” Inuyasha just growled in annoyance and looked away from the Monk.

Hours went by with no new developments. Brent was still in the same spot; the only movement from his was the slow, gentle, rise and fall of his chest. As the sun began to set everyone was wondering the same thing. Where was Sango? She still had not returned and night would soon be upon them. Thankfully she returned when the group was beginning to plan a search, but she did not look to be in high spirits.

“Sango! We were starting to worry! Where have you been?” Miroku asked as Kirara shrunk down and went to lie down in the center of the room.

“I spent the entire day searching for that garden of herbs…” Sango set her Hiraikotsu against the wall and sat down. “…I did my best to retrace Koga’s path and it took a long time. But when I finally found where it was…everything was gone…The Demon Gardener uprooted everything and moved like he said. I hadn’t expected him to move so quickly. All that was left was the patch of earth where everything grew from.” She looked ashamed as she looked to Miroku.

“Don’t worry about it Sango! We just gotta be more careful and stick to Brent! Besides, he’s getting better!...I think…” Shippo quickly went from confident to not-so-confident as he looked back.

“You’ve done your part. Just try not to worry.” Miroku sat down next the Demon Hunter.

Night came faster than expected and soon everyone had fallen asleep. Nothing had happened during those last few hours of the day. Brent still had not opened his eyes or moved. The group had high hopes for tomorrow; it would mark the third day that they had stayed cooped up in the run-down shelter. Sadly, those hopes were dashed as everyone woke up except for their new friend. When Koga arrived he, of course, let his agitation show during his shortest visit. Before leaving he told everyone that he would check back one last time, and then he was off to search for Naraku again. That day was the longest for everyone else. The Demon Gardener was long gone and it would be futile to try to find him again. Nothing had even come close to the hut that was remotely any threat. Every once in a while someone would step outside to take in the sunlight, or to just simply move around. Shippo ended up playing with Kirara a lot. Though after bumping into Inuyasha a few times, they were quickly run off outside as he shouted. The day would eventually draw to a close though; with everyone losing a little hope.

On the dawn of the fourth morning, as everyone slowly woke from their slumber, they all looked on in worry. There were still no new signs from Brent. The water bottles next to him, except for one, had all been drunk by everyone else. This prompted Kagome to take the bottles and put them in her backpack; which she tossed onto her shoulders.

“I’m going to fill the bottles. Need to clear my head anyway.” Kagome turned towards the door.

“We’ll come with you.” Miroku insisted.

“We need to find some food as well.” Sango grabbed her weapon and walked forward.

“Shippo? Do you want to tag along?” Kagome asked.

“No. I’m gonna stay here and help Inuyasha watch over Brent.” Shippo remained seated.

Kirara hopped lightly onto Brent’s chest and mewled a couple times as if to say ‘I’m staying too’. The trio left sight of their friends as they ventured off to find provisions.

“You could have gone you know.” Inuyasha had to admire the little Fox’s willingness to stay.

“Yeah…but I want to be here when he wakes up.” Kirara mewled in agreement with Shippo.

Hours had passed and the sunlight was reaching into the shack. Shippo and Kirara had fallen asleep; leaving Inuyasha to keep his eyes and ears open for anything. To his surprise the Half-Demon did catch something. As the bright rays of the sun slowly moved over Brent’s face…he grimaced and groaned. Slowly, his eyes finally opened.

“Brent? Hey! How are you feeling?” Inuyasha nudged Shippo who jumped up the instant he saw his friend waking up.

“Brent! We were so worried!” The Fox ran up next to him as Kirara mewled after jumped down to get a look herself.

The young man didn’t say a word. Gradually, he sat up, looking rather pained. The water bottle next to him looked so inviting. Brent grabbed it, popped the top off, and began to chug as if he would never get another drink in his life. Water dribbled down his cheek as he downed the bottle in one go. His arm fell to his side as he leaned forward and held his head.

“How long…have I been out?” His voice was weak, and straining to be heard.

“You’ve been recovering for the past three days. Everyone’s been worried sick!” Inuyasha looked Brent up and down concerned.

Brent would have groaned, but all that came out was a sigh; and that was when he tried to do something stupid. “We need…to get going…” It took the meager amount of strength left in his body just to get one foot on the ground.

“What are you doing?! You’re too weak! Lie down!” Shippo tried to get his friend back down, but was far too little.

“No…Gotta find Hi-NNG!” The weakened young man stumbled forward as one leg gave out under his own weight. He banged his head on the wall as Inuyasha rushed over.

“You idiot! Stop being stubborn and lie down before I make you!” Inuyasha took hold of the dazed foreigner and helped him sit down. It was then they heard a voice?

“BRENT!”

Kagome, Sango, and Miroku had returned with filled water bottles and a string of fish. The second the young schoolgirl saw her friend up she dropped her backpack and kneeled down to him. She was about to hug him but noticed how pained he looked.

“What’s wrong?” Kagome asked.

“Dummy here tried to get up and go look for Hisao! His legs gave out and he banged his head.” Inuyasha pulled Brent back to his spot where he stayed sitting up. Kagome saw the empty bottle nearby and pulled another from her backpack; handing it to Brent.

“Here. Drink up.” She urged, but Brent didn’t need to be told twice. The top popped off the bottle and he tilted his head back; drinking another bottle in one shot. He wiped his mouth and just stared at the floor.

“More…please…”

Kagome pulled all the bottles out and handed her friend another one; watching him guzzle it down quickly.

“He hasn’t had anything in days, and with the poison having hurt his body he’ll need a lot more.” Sango hung the string of fish up and set her weapon down. “Miroku, help me cook these.”

“On it.” The Monk replied as they gathered some wood for a fire.

“I’m so glad you’re OK! We thought you were never going get up!” As happy as she was, Kagome couldn’t help but appear worried as Brent drank his fourth bottle of water.

“How do you feel? Do you need anything?” Shippo stood across from Kagome next to his modern era friend.

“I feel…terrible…My entire body…is aching…How am I alive?” Brent finally looked up at Kagome; waiting for an answer.

As Kagome was informing Brent on what happened, Inuyasha picked up Koga’s scent. Excusing himself, politely for once, he stepped outside to head off the Wolf. The whirling tornado came to a stop right in from of the Half-Demon. Koga did not look happy as he folded his arms.

“Oh let me guess. You’re saving me the trouble of going inside to see that he’s dead! That’s great!”

“He’s alive Koga. He only just woke up.” Inuyasha gave the Wolf a stern look.

“Oh good! I can get my thanks from him then!”

“That’s not a good idea right now. He’s very weak and tired. The guy can barely stand! Just leave him-“

“Oh I don’t think so mutt! That human cost me four days of searching! So either you get out of my way or-“

“Koga what?!” Brent’s voice had been loud enough for the two rivals to hear, and when the Wolf heard his name he stepped closer to listen in on the conversation inside the hut.

“Koga saved me? The guy who…in front of everyone…threatened he would eat me. The same Demon saved my life?” Brent sounded utterly disbelieving.

“It was him and Sango yes! Inuyasha couldn’t-“ Koga tried to explain, but was quickly interrupted.

“No. That jackass would have let me die. You’re just trying to make him look good…” The young man was exhausted, but still had the energy to show his skepticism.

“No really! You can ask the others!”

“Kagome…stop…As far as I’m concerned it was Inuyasha and Sango…I’m not buying that Koga went out of his way to do something…nice…” Brent stopped, and Kagome turned, as Koga appeared in the doorway; his shadow cast over them both.

“Koga! Uh…I hope that-“ Kagome started but was interrupted once again.

“I was the one that saved your pathetic life. You ungrateful welp.” Koga stepped forward and towered over Brent looking incredibly furious.

“Koga I’m warning you! Don’t you-“ Inuyasha stepped in the door.

“Shut it mutt! Now you listen to me, BRENT. You are in my debt now, and that’s not something I’m likely to forget. So consider this your fair warning. If you’re lucky, I won’t use you as bait to draw out Naraku. He’s after the Jewel Shards too. I’m sure Kagome told you about that.”

Brent’s heart was racing the moment he realized his big mouth was noticed by Koga. The threats were certainly not helping either. He just angered someone far stronger, and faster, than he was; regret filled his eyes.

“I’ve made a decision. I’m going to keep an eye on you guys, because BRENT here seems to attract nothing but trouble.” 

The Wolf started to leave, and was paused by Inuyasha for a moment as he blocked the door.

“Koga you don’t need to-“ Kagome was met with the same livid look Koga had given Brent. She knew that even her influence was not going to affect him right now; she saw it in his eyes.

“Out of my way mutt.”

Inuyasha stepped to the side and let the heated Wolf Leader by; who disappeared quickly into the distance. Sango and Miroku returned just after Koga left; their arms filled with wood for a fire.

“Was that Koga?” Miroku watched the dirt clouds settle.

“I take it he’s happy now that Brent is awake?” Sango asked, but realized something was wrong when she looked inside at the others. “Did something happen?”

“Yeah. Brent’s big mouth.” Inuyasha said matter-of-factly.

“Sango…Koga was the one who helped you?” Brent looked up to her, and she could tell immediately what answer he was hoping for.

“Yes…he was.” Now Sango looked upset having to give the answer he didn’t want.

“Inuyasha…Why didn’t you go out?” When Brent looked up to him with his question the Half-Demon turned away looking annoyed. Kagome answered for him.

“The night you were injured was a night of the New Moon. On those nights, Inuyasha loses all his Demonic Power and turns into a human. There was nothing he could do.”

“I was ready to help Sango…and then it all disappeared. I’m sorry Brent.” Inuyasha still had his back to his ally.

Taking a moment to process things, Brent slowly nodded after a minute and sighed. “Do me a favor guys…start digging my grave.”

“Hey! Don’t talk like that! We won’t let Koga use you as bait!” Shippo confidently stated.

“Don’t get so down! You’re alive! Plus, we haven’t told you yet! We have an idea of where Hisao is!” Kagome smiled.

None of them were sure if it was because he was tired, too weak, or afraid, but Brent did not look or sound happy at all. “Yeah…great…”

“What’s wrong? We thought you would be pleased. Talk to us.” Miroku could sense something was bothering the young man.

“Don’t worry about it…Let’s just go…-“ Inuyasha turned his head and gave Brent an angry glare upon hearing that.”-…when we can…” Brent added to keep from making Inuyasha mad.

“Let’s all eat. I’m sure you’ll feel much better after that.” Sango tried to smile, but it was not easy seeing the downtrodden young man.

As Sango and Miroku worked together to start a fire to cook the fish, Koga was just making it back to his group. The wolves were all sitting at the edge of the forest; lying around with nothing to do. Ginta and Hakkaku sat idly as the sun shone down on them. Koga came to a stop in front of them catching them off guard; making them fall over from the rocks they sat on.

“Geez I wish you’d stop doin’ that!” Ginta shouted as he leg stuck in the air.

“You really oughta warn-hey what’s wrong boss?” Hakkaku saw the furious look on his leader’s face as he stood back up.

“That impudent little…GYAH!!!” Koga’s two underlings dove to the side as he kicked one the large rocks; sending it hurtling up into the mountain with a great crash. “All this time I could have been searching for NARAKU! That little twerp refused to give me credit for saving him!”

“Koga…calm down…From what you told us he sounded pretty rough…” Hakkaku cautiously walked over.

“Yeah! He’s probably just confused!” Ginta smiled awkwardly.

“Are you two boneheads actually DEFENDING him?!” The two lesser Wolf Demons recoiled as their leader stepped toward them threateningly. “Ugh! It doesn’t matter! We’ve got a change of plans!” 

Had Koga not been so enraged he might have noticed a buzzing sound nearby. As he explained what was going on, several Saimyosho hovered high above them listening to every word. Once they had the information they needed they took off back toward their Master. Brent was alive and well. This was going to anger someone greatly…


	26. Only Bad News

Kagura was kneeling on her flying feather high in the sky; following the Saimyosho. Only hours early they had returned bearing news that Naraku and the Wind Sorceress had not expected. So now Kagura was searching for Setsuko since her pact with Naraku was still in play. Feeling like nothing more than a messenger, having been given no other orders yet, she sighed in annoyance as the wind carried her along. Suddenly the oversized insects took a dive. They must have spotted Setsuko. Hopefully this would be over with quickly. Kagura had her own scheming to do. 

Down below, lounging in the sun, a Lizard Demon was smiling happily. She lay there with her eyes shut imagining horrible things. It had been three full days since she had dealt with her brother’s killer, and yet it seemed like so long ago. Setsuko lay there wondering whether she should try to find the body or not. She wouldn’t be able to feast on it sadly, but she did want to at least see her handiwork. Nah, on second thought, she would rather not have to see that human’s face again. A familiar sound reached her ears…a buzzing sound. Opening her eyes she immediately saw not only those giant bees that belonged to Naraku, but also Kagura. Not bothering to move, the Lizard Demon’s smile remained in place. Shutting her eyes, Setsuko just waved away at her visitors.

“My deal with Naraku is done with. That Demon he sent with me died unfortunately, but the human is dead. He’ll have to take care of Inuyasha and the rest himself.” Setsuko said rather smugly.

“Oh, I’m guessing you haven’t heard the news. Your concord with Naraku is not over and done with.” If there was one thing Kagura like to do as a messenger, it was to deliver bad news to people other than Naraku. A grin crept up on her lips.

“And just how is that may I ask?” The Lizard Demon didn’t sound worried as she rested smiling.

“Brent is alive and well…” 

“WHAT?!” Setsuko bolted upright in half a second looking beyond livid. “THAT’S IMPOSSIBLE! THERE’S NO WAY MY VENOM FAILED!” She was now on her feet with balled fists and teeth grit.

“It would seem your prey received help from someone else who is after Naraku. A Wolf Demon named Koga.”

“HOW MANY FRIENDS DOES THAT WASTE OF FLESH HAVE?!” Setsuko was practically screaming at the top of her lungs now.

“Oh Koga isn’t friends with that human. He seemed rather angry about something concerning…Brent was his name?”

“DON’T SPEAK THAT NAME!”

Kagura remained calm with her own smug smirk. “If I were you I would get to work right away. Naraku is growing more displeased with every failure you provide. And believe me he is not one to be trifled with.”

“I CANNOT FACE THEM ALONE! I NEED ASSISTANCE! THAT WAS PART OF THE DEAL!” Setsuko’s chest heaved as a vein appeared on her forehead. Unrivaled rage seethed through her like a wildfire; so strong it was that Koga’s anger would seem tame.

“And you will be provided with said assistance. So don’t worry that pretty head of yours. Oh, a word of caution though. Koga possesses Shikon Jewel Shards in his legs, and can move far faster than you and I combined.”

“I DON’T CARE WHAT HE HAS! HE’LL DIE ALONG WITH ANYONE ELSE WHO GETS IN THE WAY OF MY REVENGE!”

“My my. Such ferocity. Where was this before?” Kagura laughed lightly to herself.

Setsuko’s breaths were quick and ragged; her eyes darted around as she tried to comprehend the situation, and think of a plan. How was it Brent survived?! That glow in his chest…that had to be at least some part of it! But what was it? She had never seen anything like it. And why would a Wolf Demon help him? There were so many questions she wanted answered, but they would have to wait.

“You know if I were you, I would try to kill them all at once. Perhaps you’re clever enough to think of something. I’ve done my part here. The Demon who will assist you should arrive by sundown. Until then, you may want to cool off so you can think straight.” Kagura plucked a feather from her hair which grew to the size of a canoe before she jumped onto it. “See you later…”

Setsuko was still inconceivably irate and red in the face. As the Wind Sorceress flew away a scream of anguish filled the air. Nearly tearing her own hair out, the Lizard Demon vented her intense frustration to the point that anyone else would have thought her lungs popped.

“This is all WRONG!!! I bit him…no one has ever survived MY venom! How…HOW?! And to make things more difficult he has someone else AIDING HIM! I’m going to tear him apart…rip the flesh from his bones myself! I’ll eat his heart in front of him!”

Rustling sounds in the nearby shrubbery sparked her attention and ire. In one fluid motion she turned toward the source, shot her tongue out, and wrapped it around something. Retracting her tongue revealed it to be a deer that had caught her attention. The animal flailed about and wailed as it was dragged along the ground. Once it was close enough Setsuko took a firm hold of its neck and bit into it ravenously; jerking and twisting her head until she had ripped out a large chunk of bloody flesh. As the poor deer lay there dead, she spat the hunk of meat out and wiped her face. Setsuko stared down at her kill and watched the blood drain from its neck. Only she didn’t see the deer; Brent was in its place. A horrified dead stare left in on his face; the color draining away like his life. She could almost taste his blood as she watched the illusionary Brent try to stop his neck from bleeding.

“You will suffer…so much worse...than this pathetic animal…Mark. My. Words.”

As the day wore on, Setsuko feasted upon the deer she had killed in her incensed rage. Most of the torso was nothing but bone while the legs and head were barely touched. Compared to earlier she had grown more calm, but was still angry about the current circumstances. Just as she was promised a new Demon appeared in the distance, and was headed right for her. While the other minions she had been offered were male, this Demon was female, and utterly hideous. Most of her face was hidden by a hood, but a misshapen nose and gnarled teeth were still visible. There were several boils visible as well. When she spoke her voice came out as rather croaky and haggard.

“You are Setsuko yes?”

“I am. You have been sent by Naraku?”

“Yes. I am told you are looking to kill a human…”

“A filthy murdering human. What abilities can you offer me?” Setsuko had a plan in mind already, but that was without any prior knowledge of what this wench could do.

The ugly Demon smiled disgustingly and flashed her yellowed teeth. “Fear…”

For the first time since she had heard Brent was still alive, Setsuko smiled.


	27. A Lapse In Clarity

Feudal Japan had been painted orange with the sunset as the day went to take its own rest. Inuyasha and the others were still cooped up in the broken down shack. Brent was still trying to recover his strength after waking up earlier in the morning. Many bottles of water had been consumed, and even more fish needed to be caught and cooked. On top of that, the young man’s attitude had not changed that day at all. Kagome and the others thought that surely that would have changed after they explained how they came to learn of Hisao’s general location, but he remained desolate and gloomy. So there they sat in silence, waiting for the day to pass, and the next to start. It was Kagome who finally broke the long silence.

“When we get back to the modern era I’ll help Mom cook some more Butajiru since you liked it so much!”

Although Kagome have her best smile and tried to be as upbeat as possible, she only grew more worried when Brent didn’t say or do anything in response. Even little Shippo had given up trying to get his human friend out of his funk. Nobody could figure out what was wrong.

Silently, Brent stood up as the boards beneath him creaked and groaned. He had a little difficulty getting to his feet, but he did far better than he had that morning.

“Where are you going?” Inuyasha asked as he sat near the door.

“I need some fresh air…” Brent’s voice had returned to normal; no longer strained and breaking.

Inuyasha quickly hopped up and blocked the door. “Oh no you don’t. We don’t know if anyone is spying on us or just waiting to ambush you!”

“What the hell does it matter? Move…”

Inuyasha brought a hand up and held it to Brent’s chest. “What is wrong with you? Do you HAVE a death wish?”

“I don’t need a death wish when I’m already practically dead. Now get your hand off of me…” A twinge of anger could be heard in Brent’s voice.

“Brent, please have a seat. Inuyasha is right. We-“ Kagome tried to speak calmly.

“I have been stuck in this rundown splinter-house all day. I. Want. OUT.” More anger rose up in Brent’s voice.

“I’m telling you right now. Sit down! Don’t make me force you…” Inuyasha warned.

“Oh and just what do you think you’re gonna do?! Huh?! I’ve already been through Hell and back! So tell me Inuyasha, what do you think you’re gonna do?!” Brent had quickly gotten to yelling which had thrown the Half-Demon off.

“Brent you need to calm down. Whatever is wrong-“ Miroku tried to be diplomatic, but was quickly cut off.

“What’s wrong?! Do you really want me to lay it out? Alright, I’ll tell you all! I’m going to DIE here! That’s what’s wrong!” Brent said as he turned to face the Monk on the opposite side of the room.

“We aren’t going to let that happen! Don’t let that past-“ Sango tried to get a few words in.

“You’re not going to let the happen? It doesn’t matter what you guys try to do, that…that psychobitch out there is going to find a way to get past you! She’s done it at every turn! And each time she’s gotten closer and closer to getting me! She almost had me the other day! Do you have ANY idea the pain she put me through?!”

Brent was looking around between them all; utterly furious and breathing heavily. Shippo, frightened by how loud and scary his friend could be, had huddled next to Kirara; who was on her feet and staring curiously up at the human. She knew he wouldn’t harm them, but she was ready to keep him from leaving. Everyone was deadly silent as Brent waited to see if any of them would answer. No one uttered a word.

“It felt…like flaming needles were piercing every inch of flesh on my body! It felt like my blood had been set on fire! I was certain I was going to die, and at the time I wish I had! THAT’S how painful Setsuko’s poison was! I couldn’t talk, move, blink, only lay there wish someone would just end it all!”

Kagome sat there almost in tears. This was the very thing she had been afraid would happen ever since the Bone Eater’s Well had sealed. Brent was from a different country, with different customs, history, stories, and ideals. Nothing could have ever prepared him for the things he had come to face. She wanted to turn back time and warn him to stay away from that ragged old shed.

“Brent I made a promise and I-“ Inuyasha couldn’t even get a word in further.

“TO HELL WITH YOUR GODDAMN PROMISE! THIS ERA WILL BE MY GRAVE! SETSUKO WILL HAVE HER WAY AND I’LL NEVER GET BACK TO MY OWN TIME! AND THERE IS NOTHING THAT ANY OF YOU CAN-UGH!!!”

Everyone suddenly gasped in shock as Brent feel to his hands and knees. Inuyasha stood there, his fist raised and slightly red after punching the hysterical young man across the face. Only a couple seconds had gone by, but the Half-Demon quickly picked Brent up by the scruff of his shirt and held him to the wall; making direct eye contact and looking angrier than ever.

“Let’s get this straight right now! I’m not letting you die here! Setsuko won’t lay a hand on you again, and Koga definitely won’t be using you as bait! Now I don’t wanna hear another negative word out of you! We’re going to get you back home! You got that?!”

Inuyasha didn’t get a verbal response. All he saw was the look of alarm on Brent’s face as his senses came back to him. He slumped to the ground the grip on his shirt vanished and stared at the floor. ‘Going off the handle’ didn’t exactly do justice to what just happened. What was wrong with him? He started yelling and, got carried away…never had he let anything like that happen before.

“Brent? Are you OK?” Kagome sounded soft as dove.

“I…I think so…” Brent said quietly; not looking up.

“Get some rest. We’re all going to need it. Hisao is in the mountains and we’re going to find him.” Inuyasha commanded. He promptly took a seat and bowed his head; shutting his eyes.

Kirara mewled and pawed at Brent’s leg; she didn’t wait for an invitation and hopped up on his lap and curled up. As if by habit he just started to gently pet her; all while looking ashamed of himself.

“Don’t worry Brent. You’ll feel better in the morning.” Shippo tried to reassure Brent as he sat closeby.

But the young man had nothing to say. All he did was pet the small Feline in his lap, and kept his thoughts to himself. No one else tried to converse with him; believing it best for him to simply think on his actions.

Night had fallen and provided the perfect opportunity to enact the new plan for revenge. Setsuko stared at the hovel that housed her enemies, and the one person she was after, from a safe distance. Everyone had to be asleep since there was no light coming from inside.

“So, the human in red is who you are after?” The awful voice asked as the Ugly Demon eyed the shack.

“Yes. He is the one that I want alive for myself. The others can die for all I care. Naraku would prefer things that way anyway.” Setsuko kept her eyes forward.

“I think I can manage that…heeheehee.” The Ugly Demon held up her hand and pointed it towards the shack.

A small wisp of white smoke poured from the palm of her hand and floated toward its target. Inside the shack, everyone was soundly asleep. The small white wisp slipped inside completely undetected and moved straight to Brent.

“Yes…Yeeeees that is him. Tis’ a shame such a handsome young man must die…” The Ugly Demon grinned. It was then Setsuko noticed…this Demon had no eyes. “Now…show me what you fear…your deepest, darkest horrors…”

The wisp flew up Brent’s nose silently. He only moved a little in his sleep, but it was enough to cause to him to slowly wake up.

“Yeeeeeees…I can see what terrifies you! And now…that is all that you shall see…heeheehee!”

Brent slowly opened his eyes and rubbed them a little, and when he looked around the room it took all his energy to not scream.


	28. Night Terrors

The shack was gone; hair-like strands of white made walls around the area. Brent saw himself in something he thought could only appear in a nightmare. Webs…spiderwebs…all over the place. Even worse was what was occupying the web house with him; large humanoid Spider-Demons. Of all the things in the world, Spiders were always his biggest fear, and now they were as large as him. Two legs, six arms, slightly curved and deadly sharp fangs, and eight bulbous eyes on each of them. They were all asleep, thankfully. What happened to Inuyasha and the others?! How could this have happened?! Brent trembled violently as his complexion turned to ghostly white. Trying not to scream in sheer terror right now was undoubtedly the hardest thing he had ever tried to do. Looking to his left, he saw his Tanegashima lying on the floor. Just as he went to gently grab it his hand stopped. It glows whenever he holds it…what if the glow wakes up his creepy captors? Slowly, he reached for the strap, and pulled his weapon closer.

It was only just out of sight that Setsuko and her aid were watching the hut and waiting. 

“Yeeeeeees. I can feel his fear…The human is mortified! So much so that he can barely move!” The Ugly Demon cackled quietly.

“Get him out of there and toward us! This is taking far too long!” The impatient Lizard Demon ordered.

“Playing upon people’s fears is no easy business. I must manipulate the mind and eye together to create a swelling terror inside them that never ceases. Each person reacts differently to what they see. Not only does this human fear Demons, but most of all it is Spiders! Which is more common than-“

“Just hurry up! My fangs crave his flesh…” Setsuko snarled.

“Very well. I shall try to help Naraku as well…only a moment…” The old hag raised her hand again and pointed her palm at the old building. “Hear me young man...Destroy them…Destroy them all…Rid yourself of this gut clenching fear…” She spoke quietly.

While the Ugly Hag’s voice was croaky and withered, Brent heard another voice in his head. It was soft, gentle, and almost ethereal. This soothing voice did little to ease his nerves as he gently pulled his weapon closer to him. No…forget shooting these things…the second that one was killed the others would wake, and that was the last thing he wanted. With Tanny close enough he gently lifted it by the strap; taking care to not touch the gun itself to keep it from glowing. As slowly and quietly as humanly possible, despite his shaky legs, he stood up and backed his way to the only opening in the infested cocoon house.

Setsuko was just about out to run out of what little patience she had left when she saw her prey backing up from his protective domain. It was clear as day that he was shaking with fear, and she adored that.

“Yes! YES! Bring him to us!” The Lizard Demon urged.

“Shush! I’m trying to have him kill his friends!” The Ugly Hag turned her attention back to the frightened young man. “You will not be safe, and I cannot help you find your friends unless you destroy these Demons…”

There was that angelic voice again…Who was that? Brent kept backing away from the house. They noticed he was shaking his head. “No…No way…I don’t want to wake them…” He whispered quietly.

Inside the old building, Inuyasha’s ears flicked and twitched as they picked up sound. Slowly his amber eyes revealed themselves and he rubbed them quickly. He took a quick look around and almost panicked. Brent was gone. He jumped to his feet and stepped into the doorway.

Brent froze on the spot as a terrified tiny squeak passed lips. A Spider Demon was standing in the doorway…staring…right…at…him. Its eyes were a blood red, and glowing in the dark night.

“Brent what are you-huh?” As Inuyasha spotted his friend and ally he could tell immediately something was terribly wrong. Not only was Brent ghostly pale, but his eyes…his eyes were totally white! And the fear…Inuyasha could smell his fear. He also picked up another scent…one all too familiar…

“HURRY! That Half-Breed is starting to figure things out!” Setsuko whispered violently.

Although Inuyasha had tried to talk to him, Brent saw only a nightmarish creature, and heard awful screechy clicking noises as opposed to speech. That…THING could pounce on him any second! Brent grabbed his gun, aimed from the hip, and fired several shots.

“Brent what’s-DAH!” Inuyasha only barely ducked away as a beam of pure light flew by his head. The other two missed completely fortunately. He then saw Brent run off into the darkened forest. Peeking his head back into the previously safe hut, Inuyasha woke the others. “Everyone get up! Something’s wrong with Brent! NOW!” 

“No no NO! He’s going in the wrong direction! His friends will get to him before we do!” Setsuko gnashed her teeth, but the Ugly Demon merely smiled.

“I believe this works in your favor. He can tire himself out trying to run away, and I can lure him toward us. I just need to guide him!” The old Hag cackled.

“This had BETTER work!” The two conniving Demons took off in another direction to remain out of sight.

Adrenaline pumped through Brent faster than his blood. Fear gripped his heart with its icy hold. His breath escaped with every footfall as he ran for all he was worth. How could he have missed?! This was going to be it for him; devoured by something every fiber of his being deplored. Surely that one Demon would have woken the others and would give chase. His worst fear came true when he heard screeching behind him from multiple Demons. The sounds made his heart skip a beat as cold sweat streamed down his face. Had he not been under the Ugly Hag’s influence the voices of his friends would have reached his ears.

“Brent stop!”

“It’s us! We’re not trying to harm you!”

“Come back!”

Sango, Shippo, and Kagome’s voices never reached him. The group could see him almost barely disappearing among the trees, but he couldn’t escape their sight no matter how fast his legs carried him.

“I can get ahead of him! Just stay behind and keep him in sight!” Inuyasha leaped up into the trees and began to kick off of them.

“I don’t understand! What could possibly be frightening him so badly?!” Miroku’s staff jingled as he ran.

“Inuyasha said he could smell one of Naraku’s Demons! It must be manipulating him!” Sango ran alongside Kirara in her full battle size.

“Oh no! That means Setsuko knows he’s alive!” Kagome start to push herself harder to move faster.

“We gotta hurry! I can’t stand to see him hurt again!” Shippo held onto Kirara’s neck as she ran.

Screeches and clicks and thunderous footsteps were all Brent could hear. He wanted it to stop; to go home and not be running for his life. It was when he thought his heart was going to burst from his chest that the gentle woman’s voice filled his head again.

“Go to your right…I am your only salvation…”

There was no alternative; either listen to the voice and get out of this rut, or most likely die a violent death. Just as he kicked off a tree to help him make a right Inuyasha jumped down in front of him and tried to grab him. All Brent saw was a hairy eight-eyed monster trying to catch him. Screaming in terror, the young man fell to his back and slid. In his panic he began to fire wildly at his friend. The beams of light lit the area as they scorched through trees, and were dodged by the Half-Demon. As Inuyasha leaped out of sight Brent saw the other Spider Demons running up and grew trigger happy once more; firing off his life force to possibly save himself. They all ducked away and hid behind the trees, screeching loudly as he jumped to his feet and took off.

“Dammit!” Inuyasha shouted.

“Don’t let him get too far!” Miroku yelled as they all followed after their terrified friend.

How much further did he have to run? Where was the source of this voice? Brent felt as though his chest was going to burst; lungs burning and heart panicking. Even the stab wound in his belly felt pained. All those shots he fired…he could definitely feel the drain from them now. He had never felt it back in the village of Ninjas. His face had grown drenched with sweat; rivulets dripped from his chin. And when all hope seemed to be gone he saw a bright light ahead. There! That had to be it! Just a little further…

There he was sure was the source of the voice. Brent started to make out the figure of a woman in the distance; hidden among the trees. The bright light emanated from her as she waited patiently. The woman, to Brent’s eyes, was stunningly beautiful. Long wavy dark hair, soft eyes and a warm smile. She was garbed in all white robes with her arms outstretched to meet the frightened young man. 

“Come to me…I will protect you…” Her voice echoed gently.

Brent was almost there…just a few more trees to get past! There was a loud screech from above that made him stop, and down from the foliage came one of the horrendous Spider Demons…right in his path. The others had caught up behind him and were all screeching at him. Spread out all around they had him surrounded. 

Kagome and the others all finally got a look at Brent and his eyes as he looked around panicked. “That’s why he’s so frightened!” Kagome realized.

“Brent! That Demon is manipulating your sight and mind!” Miroku shouted.

“Snap out of it! Don’t go any closer!” Sango urged.

But their pleas were in vain. All Brent could hear were the ear-splitting squeals of the Spider Demons.

“You must destroy them…It is the only way…” The angelic woman said. As she spoke, Inuyasha and the others only saw the Hag, and heard her filthy voice. 

Nobody moved. One shot from Brent’s Tanegashima could decimate any of them, and if they made any sudden moves…

“Brent, don’t listen to her…You have to free yourself of this…” Inuyasha spoke calmly. So desperately he wanted to turn around and claw Naraku’s spawn into the pieces. 

What to do? What to do?! Salvation was only feet away, and now these Spiders had him surrounded! How could he possibly take them all out? There were…how many? One…two…three…six! There were six of them! There was no way he could take them all on! His grip tightened on the gun as he grit his teeth.

Setsuko waited patiently just out of sight in the trees, and her patience was almost gone. This was taking far too long! Why couldn’t he just kill his friends and leave himself to her?! Perhaps the Ugly Hag had gone too far with her fear. A sudden gust of wind blew beneath her…wind? In the forest? Something wasn’t right…and then she saw it… and nearly gave herself away with a shout of anguish.

Brent saw something approach at the last second behind the beautiful woman. When he raised his gun Inuyasha dove to the side. A scream and a shout of fury echoed throughout the woods.

From Brent’s perspective, a seventh Spider Demon with incredibly speed had leaped through the air and kicked the woman who was trying to save him. He fired another couple beams and missed horribly thanks to his shot nerves.

Everyone else saw Koga planting a foot across the Hag’s head. He came skidding to a halt as he landed. Brent screamed seeing this happen.

“NO! NO STAY AWAY! AAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!” Beams of light shot straight for Koga as Brent’s fear took hold of the trigger.

The Wolf Demon dodged every shot as the Hag went to stand back up. “WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH HIM?! STOP HIM!” Koga shouted.

Brent heard a shriek behind him, and turned to see a Spider less than a foot away from him in mid-jump. He couldn’t turn fast enough as Miroku pounced on him and tried to wrestle the gun from his hands. The young man screamed bloody murder as he saw his worst fear hovering over him.

“You…you wretched stinking wolf! I’ll-“ The Hag started before realized someone was behind her.

“You’re done here! RRRAAAAAGGGGHHHH!” With one swipe from his razor sharp claws, Inuyasha cut through the Ugly Demon, slicing her clean in half. She barely even screamed before she fell over forwards and backwards at once.

Brent was still yelling and struggling for his life as Miroku avoided a beam of light zipping by his head. “Brent it’s me! Stop!”

“INUYASHA! KAGOME! SOMEONE HEEEEEEEEELLLLP!!!”

Slowly, Brent’s eyes began to lose the white haze that was covering them. As they returned to normal, he started to see the Spider change form. It was still black, but then purple began to show as the body was covered in a robe…and then the fleshy face surfaced. The face of a friend…Brent stopped the moment he realized who it was.

“M-Miroku?” His voice was shaky and slightly weak.

“Yes it’s me!” Miroku was suddenly holding the Tanegashima, it’s glow dissipating, as Brent let go. He looked horrified still.

“You…you were…one of those…”

“Calm down. Everything is OK.” Miroku helped Brent sit up as he began to realize what he had nearly done.

“Oh…Oh my god…I nearly killed you all…I…I…”

“Don’t think about it! You were under that Demon’s influence!” Sango said as the others gathered around.

“It’s all fine now! Just take a deep breath and-“ Kagome started.

“No! No it’s not! I could have killed you all! Oh Christ!” Brent rested his forehead on his palms as he began to shake. Adrenaline and some lingering effects from the Demon were still coursing through him. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” 

“What happened?” Koga asked as he came forward. 

“We’ll explain later. For now let’s-“ Inuyasha was quickly interrupted.

“DAMN YOU ALL!!!” Setsuko’s rage had gotten the better of her. Unable to hold back any longer she screamed and quickly covered her mouth after making the faux pas. 

“SETSUKO!” Inuyasha yelled as he looked right in her direction.

Koga remembered that name from when Kagome had explained things to him the other day. The moment Inuyasha dashed toward the source of the yell Koga followed suit. The others were left to care for Brent; who was still trembling and on the verge of another breakdown.

How could she have been so stupid?! She should have bit her tongue! Setsuko leaped among the tree branches to maintain high ground and make it more difficult to spot her. But there was that damned Inuyasha below her with his eyes locked onto her. And now there was another chasing her as well. He reeked of Wolf…was this the Demon Kagura had told her of? The trees ahead were thinning out; meaning she was going to run out of cover soon. Both of her assailants covered her left and right flanks leaving her no option. Setsuko made a leap from the trees and into the cold night air. As she did she heard a shout behind her. Koga had done the same and was already on the Lizard Demon as he punched her in the back; sending her hurtling toward the unforgivably hard earth. Inuyasha and Koga watched as she tumbled along the ground for a moment. Finally, her campaign to terrorize Brent would end; Inuyasha would see to that. He withdrew his Tetsaiga and glared at her furiously. Escape was still possible in Setsuko’s mind…until when she began running the other direction. The Wolf was suddenly a blur and standing only a few feet away; blocking her retreat. It was true! This Wolf Demon…

“It ends here Setsuko! You’re done going after Brent!” Inuyasha yelled.

“Hold on Inuyasha! I think this welp could show us where Naraku is! Spill it before I gut you!” Koga threatened.

“I don’t know where he is! I was never allowed to see where!” Setsuko shouted back. This couldn’t end here…she needed to avenge her brother!

“I believe that. Naraku wouldn’t let a weakling like you know where his hideout is! Which is why you die NOW!” Inuyasha raised the Tetsaiga as wind began to swirl around, up and down the blade.

The ground suddenly seemed to explode around Inuyasha and Koga; forcing them to back off. Setsuko had seen white crescents rain down around her would-be killers. She looked up to see Kagura as the source and was grateful for the rescue. Seizing the opportunity, Setsuko leaped up into the air and landed on Kagura’s feather.

“KAGURA!” Inuyasha and Koga looked up to see Naraku’s henchwoman smirking down at them.

“See you around Inuyasha!” The Wind Sorceress shouted as the wind carried them off and out of range.

“Damn it to hell!” Inuyasha angrily sheathed his Tetsaiga.

“So that weakling is the one that’s been after Brent huh?” Koga didn’t seem at all impressed with Setsuko.

“Yeah…what she lacks in strength she makes up for with brains…”

With Setsuko gone the group would be safe from attack for at least a little while. By the time the two rivals returned to the others, Brent was asleep. Everyone else had remained awake; eager to hear what happened. Then when they got the news they all looked upset.

“So Kagura intervened…Typical…” Miroku even seemed annoyed.

“At least we know it will be a little while before she’s back again.” Sango tried to remain positive.

“So what was going on back there? I caught Naraku’s stench and came running. Then I find myself nearly getting killed!” Koga folded his arms.

“Well, it was before we gave him something to sleep that Brent told us what happened. Apparently that Demon was controlling his fears. She made all of us look like Spider Demons. He’s terrified of Spiders.” Kagome started. “The whole way back he just couldn’t stop apologizing. He was so upset by the fact he nearly killed us all. Even you Koga.”

“Pff. I’ll believe it when I hear it from him. If this is the kind of trouble he gets you guys into then I’m gonna change my plans. I’m going to travel with you all for a little while.” The Wolf Demon proclaimed.

This made Inuyasha scoff. “We don’t need YOUR help Wolf…”

“I didn’t ask if you needed it. I wouldn’t help you anyway mutt.”

“Inuyasha. I think at this point we need all the help we can get.” Sango said diplomatically.

“Brent is very vulnerable right now. He’s not in the right of mind. We need to do everything we can.”

“Mmmmmnnnnn…alright…” Inuyasha groaned.

Everyone began to settle for the night, and began hoping for an easy search tomorrow. Even with the recent attack things were looking to get better. Hisao was in the mountains nearby, Koga was now helping, and Setsuko had run off for the moment. But before Kagome fell asleep she kept asking herself…can Brent keep up?


	29. Hisao's Hidden Home

Koga walked among the group now back behind Brent. The Wolf Demon wanted to keep his eyes on him after the events of last night. That strange weapon of his was slung across his back. Koga’s eyes never left Brent, and Brent’s eyes never left the ground.

Since that morning, once everyone had woken up, Brent had been quiet. He didn’t greet anyone, respond to anyone, or even make eye contact. Once he had realized that everyone almost died at his hand, thanks to the Ugly Hag’s influence, his terror at the thought and shame of his actions broke him down. He felt like the worst person in the world and that he didn’t deserve their kindness.

Kagome and Shippo tried to their best to cheer him up. Talking to him, staying upbeat, Shippo even tried some of his Fox Magic to make amusing things appear. None of it worked unfortunately. The young man never gave any acknowledgement they were even there.

Miroku and Sango tried their best to reassure him that no one blamed him for his actions, and that they didn’t trust him any less for it. However, those potentially healing words were immediately made worthless when Koga scoffed and had his say.

Inuyasha led the group through the mountains as he remained on high alert. He wasn’t sure at all on how to help get his friend into better spirits. So he instead opted to keep an eye out for anyone or anything that might try to attack them during their search.

Their search hadn’t started that long ago; the forest that was the group’s temporary home was just below them some several hundred feet. Lush green landscape was replaced with stiff grays as the slightly larger group ventured through the mountains. Pebbles fell down the steep mountainside as they were kicked off with idle footsteps. Their only company was the birds that flew far above the mountains; their caws and chirps echoing about the area.

“So how do we know when we’ve found this Hisao? Don’t you know where he is?” Koga had begun to grow impatient.

“None of us know exactly where he is. We only know he’s in the mountains somewhere.” Kagome responded.

“So what, are we gonna spend several MORE days just searching for this Demon? That’s the last thing I need…” Koga rolled his eyes and looked into the distance.

“Nobody asked you to tag along Wolf! This isn’t about you!” Inuyasha barked.

“Everyone needs to focus on the task at hand. Keep your eyes open for anything that might look suspicious.” The Monk interjected before Koga could make his retort. 

“Shippo, Sango, maybe you two could do some scouting for us!” Kagome suggested. “With you two flying around we could find him faster!”

“Good idea Kagome. Shippo, hop on!” Sango stepped aside as Kirara grew to full-size.

“We’ll get high up and I’ll use my Fox Magic to float around!” Shippo became filled with determination as he jumped onto the large feline’s back. The three of them soared high into the air and out of sight past the peak of the portion of the mountain they were on.

“Well if they’re going to run off and look around then so will I!” Koga sped off past the remainder of the group; a large wind gust blew by them as he zoomed up the trail.

“And the rest of us will keep Brent some company!” Shippo tried to be cheerful, but he frowned when he looked back to see his friend still staring at his feet as he walked.

Kagome appeared more determined than ever as she strode with purpose. “We’re going to find Hisao and he’ll help us figure out how we can get the Well to work again.

“Everything will work out in the end. Just keep your chin up Brent!” Miroku chimed, but Brent did anything but keep his chin up.

“Guys, it’s best to just leave him be. He’ll come around.” Inuyasha said from up front.

Now with four different directions being searched the majority of the group grew optimistic. Sango rode around atop Kirara’s back, Shippo changed into his large pink balloon form, Koga ran and jumped among the cliffs, and the remainder kept to the commonly used path. However, no one thought that the search would take so much of the day. While the mountain range they searched had indeed been expansive, they all surely believed the sun would not be starting to set in the middle of their expedition. One by one members of the party slowly returned. 

Koga showed up first; his speed causing a gust to ruffle everyone’s hair. “I couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary. Figures…”

Sango showed up next, and everyone could tell by the look on her face what her news would be. “Sorry, but I didn’t find anything.” Kirara growled as if she was annoyed by it as well.

“Did either of you see Shippo?” Kagome asked.

“Nah. Haven’t seen the little runt.” Koga looked off annoyed.

“GUYS!” The tiny Fox Demon’s voice echoed from above. A giant pink orb with great big eyes descended toward them. There was a puff of smoke as Shippo reverted to his original form. “I found a cave! And I think I saw some light coming from inside!”

Brent looked up for the first time the whole day, but his hallowed expression didn’t change.

“It’s the only lead we have. We have to chance it. Shippo? Care to take us there?” Miroku’s staff jingled as he stepped forward.

“Sure! Can I ride on Kirara? I’m kinda tired.”

“Just don’t fall asleep on us!” Sango smiled as he jumped up on the Feline’s back.

“Koga? Would you mind carrying Brent?” Kagome asked. She knew that she would have to be the one to ask. Otherwise, Koga wouldn’t cooperate.

“Ugh, fine. But you hold onto that weapon of his. I don’t want him suddenly killing me with it.” The Wolf Demon scoffed.

“Koga…”

“Either he gives it up, or he waits here.” Koga crossed his arms.

“Brent you don’t-“ Kagome stopped as Brent silently handed Tanny to her. The metal never released its brilliant glow as he only held the strap. She took it from him and slung it over her own shoulder with an uneasy look.

Koga knelt down on one knee. “Get on my back. Let’s make this quick.”

Kagome hopped on Inuyasha’s back as Brent gave a wary look to Koga. Somewhat reluctant, Brent got onto the Wolf’s back.

“Lead the way Shippo!” Inuyasha called out as Kirara rose into the air with the remaining three members.

Inuyasha and Koga began their ascent up the cliff’s side, and Brent had not expected the sudden leap. He had almost lost his grip on Koga’s shoulders as gravity tried to pull him back toward the stone below. Koga focused mostly on his footing and making sure he made each leap; Brent appeared second on his priority list. 

In the distance the sun had only begun to dip below the horizon. Fortunately for the group they would reach the cave entrance that Shippo had been so eager to tell everyone about. The little Fox gently hopped up and down as his tiny finger pointed toward the gaping hole in the mountainside. 

“That’s it that’s it!”

“I’m definitely picking up the scent of a Demon. It smells…strange…and old.” A strange look appeared on Inuyasha’s face as he covered his nose. Koga did the same as he voiced his disgust.

Once the group landed on the ridge in front of the cave opening, Brent was the one to first approach it; but not enter it. He stared into dizzying darkness as if the answer to his journey was going to pop out at him. Dimly lit torches lined the walls along the entire tunnel, but only provided minimal light. A hand gently found a place on Brent’s shoulder.

“Come on. Let’s find out how to get you and Kagome home.” Inuyasha’s voice came off as calm. 

Brent gently nodded as his half-demon friend took point. Kagome walked up beside him and held his hand. He was met with a warm and glowing smile from her. “This will all be over soon. Cheer up OK?”

For the first time that day, Kagome saw the tiniest smile appear on his face. That alone lifted her spirits higher than she could imagine.

“Just think! Hisao is somewhere in here!” The little Fox said optimistically.

“Normally I would say otherwise, but these torches seem to prove he’s here.” Miroku looked around at the low burning wood-made lighting.

Sango tightened her grip on her Hiraikotsu. “I’m not convinced…this could be a trap set by Naraku or Setsuko.”

“Sango has a point. Setsuko can somehow hide her scent. We need to stay on guard.” Inuyasha had his claws ready.

“So that’s why I didn’t get her scent. I thought I just couldn’t smell for a moment.” Koga added.

A bright glow lit up more of the dim passageway as Brent got his weapon back from Kagome. He held onto it tightly; ready to fight again. 

The torches along path eventually stopped as they reached a larger area inside the mountain; and were met with a strange sight. Behind two standing torches there was a lone hut that seemed incredibly well built. 

“This is definitely odd.” The Monk stared at the small building with an air of doubt.

“It’s just small enough to fit in here…but why build it inside a cave?” Koga was perplexed.

“Let’s find out. I’ll have a look.” Inuyasha walked up the few steps then slowly slides the door open.

Inside, there were lit candles all over the place that provided sufficient light. They revealed what clearly appeared to be a Demon sitting in the middle of the room. He had his back to Inuyasha and sat in front of a small shrine. The Demon did not turn as it spoke with a quiet yet ragged voice.

“I see that I have been found again.”

“Are you Hisao?” Inuyasha asked bluntly.

“Indeed I am. What question have you come with?”

Hisao turned around and revealed himself. Squinted eyes, yellowed skin, no nose and a small mouth. Completely bald with small holes in the sides of his head in place of ears. Even though the small building he resided in was nice; the clothes on his back were old and tattered with colors so faded no one could determine the original color.

“I’m not the one with the question. Guys. It’s him. Come in here.”

One by one the rest of the group entered and stepped to the sides to allow for more room. Brent entered last as his weapon’s glow died down. This caught Hisao’s attention as he hummed curiously.

“Quite the search party you have here Half-Demon. All this just to find a hermit such as myself?” Hisao’s eyes lazily glazed over to Inuyasha.

“Don’t worry. We just need to know a few things concerning him.” The Half-Demon nodded toward Brent, who put his weapon on his back.

“I see…A foreigner eh? You seem to be in the wrong place…and time.” Hisao’s eyes widened a little as he took a closer look at the young man.

To Brent, that seemed to be more than just an educated guess. There was a strange feeling that he couldn’t quite place. It only grew the longer he looked at the Demon. “You’re more right than you know…”

“I know I am. You are unlike any other human who has ever sought my insight.”

“Hisao. We came here to ask-“ Miroku started.

“Oh yes I know. I know. You wish to learn how you can send your friend back to his own time, and why he ended up here in the first place.” Hisao interjected. He didn’t sound annoyed, but rather a tad tired.

“Yes! How did you know?” Sango was impressed by this.

“You see, there is a reason for my name, The All-Seeing Demon. All I need do is to make eye contact with an individual, and I can see their thoughts, wishes, dreams, and their heart’s desires. I looked into each and everyone one of you as you entered and I must say…you are the most colorful group to have ever graced me.” Hisao smiled for the first time since they entered.

“Wow…so…you already know everything about us?” Shippo looked up at Hisao as though he were a God.

“Not everything, but I did manage to see the questions first. Those were at the forefront of everyone’s minds…except for the Wolf’s…he was wondering how much longer he had to be around Inuyasha’s ‘stench’.”

Before it even happened, everyone knew their Half-Demon ally was going to glare and growl at his rival.

“Thanks for outing me…lousy bald-“ Koga fell into a mumble.

“Whatever answers you have for us would be greatly appreciated!” Kagome smiled.

“Ah yes. Well then young man. If you would step closer, my eyes aren’t as young as they were. Now, stare directly into my eyes. Do not break away.” Hisao commanded .

Brent did as he was asked and stared into the old sullen eyes before him. There was that feeling again…Only this time it seemed to never go away. This feeling had to be from Hisao literally looking into him. 

Every few seconds the Demon would hum, nod, or narrow his eyes. Not a word escaped him as he looked deep into Brent with his unblinking eyes. It was as though nothing surprised the Demon; like he had seen everything there was to see.

“Alright. You may break eye contact.” Hisao closed his enlarged eyes and sat down.

“Well? You know the questions! Give us the answers!” Inuyasha said rather impatiently.

“Will you calm down? You don’t know what kind of strain that puts on him!” Kagome defended.

“Oh do not worry my dear. There is no strain. Now before I answer…I must ask…” Hisao kept his eyes closed.

Everyone gave their undivided attention to the Demon.

“Young man. Do you know who are?” Hisao asked.

“Ummmm…Yeah…Brent Miller. United States Citizen. Twenty-one years old…Why-“

“No no no. You…are so much more…” Hisao chuckled very lightly as though he was pleased with his discovery. “Kagome…you are not the only person who is a reincarnation of someone...”

There was a collective ‘what?!’ among the group.

“Are you saying Brent is a reincarnation of someone?!” Miroku looked utterly shocked.

“Yes. He is the reincarnation of someone…in this very room…” Hisao smiled, his eyes still shut.

“Who is it!?” Shippo was on his feet. He couldn’t stand the tension anymore.

Everyone’s hair was on end as they waited for the answer. Hisao stood up and finally opened up his eyes. “Tell me. How does it feel to be formally introduced to your reincarnation-” The Demon looked to his right. “-Inuyasha?”


	30. Purpose

“He’s…he’s what?!” Inuyasha looked just as shocked, if not more, than everyone else. Aside from the Half-Demon’s exclamation, the room was deadly silent. Only he and Brent looked to Hisao, while all other eyes were set upon the young man.

Hisao chuckled lightly and smiled. “Brent here is your reincarnation. Is that so hard to under-“

“YOU’RE TELLING ME I’VE GOT TWO MUTTS TO DEAL WITH NOW?!” Koga shouted looking utterly furious. This caused everyone to glare at the Wolf and bring anger to Kagome.

“KOGA!” The school girl yelled.

“I DON’T BELIEVE THIS! I’M HELPING INUYASHA TWO TIMES!” 

“Brent is not another Inuyasha. If you would be so kind as to calm yourself I shall explain.” Hisao never raised his voice or gave any off looks. Koga huffed, leaned back against the wall, and crossed his arms looking highly aggravated. 

“Look…This just…can’t be right. I mean…I’m not even Japanese!” Brent was looking all too confused.

“It matters not where you hail from, or what your nobility is. Reincarnation does as it sees fit.” Hisao smiled at Brent.

“It still makes no sense! Inuyasha is Half-Demon and Brent is entirely human!” Miroku felt perplexed by all this. Out of everyone there, he thought he would have been able to make sense of it.

“Now now. Let’s start from the beginning shall we? Brent. You arrived falling down the Bone Eater’s Well from your time. A strange light beckoned you, yes?” Hisao maintained focus on the young man.

“It’s remarkable how you know this…” Kagome sat there in awe.

“Yes…I felt as though something was…pulling me almost…” Brent responded.

“Mhm, mhm. Inuyasha-“ Hisao turned and looked him in the eye, “-you could only barely pick up his scent, and could not smell his blood. That is because-“

“He is my reincarnation…” Inuyasha was dwelling on this and thought far back. “Kagome…when we first met I thought you were Kikyo…you smelled so similar, but had your own unique scent. Even your blood smelled the same…wait a minute…”

“Inuyasha. If Brent’s blood smelled the same as your own, you may have become noseblind to it! With how many injuries you’ve sustained you would have grown accustomed to the scent.” Sango said.

“But what about Brent being pulled towards the well?” Shippo looked up curiously as tiny Kirara mewled next to him.

“As yes. You see, that is the very reason your friend is here. It is because of their souls. Do you remember the Demon who was hoarding human souls?” Hisao turned back to his left.

“Yes…That was so terrible…” Kagome shuddered.

“What was it that he proclaimed Brent’s soul to be?”

“He said Brent’s soul was pure, and when he realized that he went straight after him…” Miroku held his chin as he pondered.

“Precisely. Inuyasha’s soul, however, is corrupted.” Hisao looked to Brent. “That light that you saw at the Well, and the pulling feeling that overcame you Brent, was Inuyasha’s own soul calling to yours. It is no mistake that you are in Japan.” Hisao smiled.

“Wait…are you implying that even my decision to visit Japan was because of that?” Brent’s confused look only grew.

“But how can there be two of the same soul? That’s not possible is it?” Miroku locked his eyes on Hisao.

“Such is the case dear Brent. Powerful thing is it not? And I see every ounce of doubt in your eyes Monk. The answer to that is yes…and no. I will do my best to simplify why this is. Not all souls are the same you see. As you all know, Inuyasha is a Half-Demon. There is a difference between a human’s soul, and a Demon’s. Inuyasha’s is a culmination of the two. Of course, in the future, Inuyasha has long since passed away, and because of Miss Kagome’s interference with the past, this has changed certain events. In Brent’s time he was born with the human portion of Inuyasha’s soul. This became an entire soul of its own, making it unique, and yet similar to Inuyasha’s. So…perhaps he’s more of a half reincarnation if you will.” Hisao chuckled. 

“You say Inuyasha’s soul is corrupted. Just how is that?” Sango asked before Miroku could say anything. 

“Ahhh yes. Well, you all already know the answer to that, aside from Koga and Brent. Though I advise you discuss that privately. Surely Inuyasha, you remember having periods of…memory loss, shall we say?” Hisao looked sternly upon the Half-Demon.

As the group sat there contemplating just what Hisao meant, Brent stepped forward looking slightly aggravated. “This is insane! How can this all be true? How do I know you’re not just blowing smoke?”

“Brent don’t get riled up again-“ Kagome tried to speak calmly.

“No! This is ridiculous! You can look into my eyes and see everything I’ve been through right? So look me in the eyes and tell me exactly what is going on!” The young man had no idea how literal that statement could be taken.

Hisao closed his eyes and sighed. “The doubt you feel is reasonable, and if you require proof then I shall provide it. Step closer please.”

Doing as Hisao told him, he was caught off guard as the Demon’s hands suddenly grasped his head. The palms of Hisao’s hands covering Brent’s eyes as his own grew immensely wide.

“Agh! What are you doing?!” Brent panicked.

“Showing you your past life.” Hisao spoke gently as his palms slowly moved to the side of Brent’s head, and their eyes made contact. 

At that moment, Brent was suddenly taken elsewhere within his mind. It happened so quickly that he could barely register what happened. First, things were pitch black, and then a blinding light burst forth. Next, his sense of smell picked up. Brent could smell the trees so clearly, the nearby flowers, and…the scent of someone…it was unfamiliar, yet he knew it at the same time…from his perch in a tree he looked down as his vision became clear. That was when Brent realized he wasn’t controlling his own actions, because next thing he knew he had jumped from the perch and landed without any hint of trouble. He’d jumped down in front of a woman…with long black hair, wearing red and white, who looked strikingly close to Kagome…The woman smiled softly at him…

“Smell me coming again did you Inuyasha?” The woman said.

What? Inuyasha?

The scene suddenly changed again. The sun was setting and Brent was standing on a dock having just stepped off of a small boat. The same woman was walking toward him. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see his reflection in the water. All Brent saw was Inuyasha…The woman suddenly tripped and fell into his arms. She looked up into his eyes with a sense of longing…and Brent felt…love for this woman…

The visions continuously changed over and over, seeming to go on forever when in reality they were happening in mere seconds. As they went on and on Brent started to struggle a little within Hisao’s grasp.

“Please! Stop!” Brent pleaded.

“You wished to know. And you shall.” Hisao said.

“Hisao stop! That’s enough!” Kagome grew worried.

The scenes didn’t stop however. Hundreds were playing in his mind. From Inuyasha’s childhood, to when he first me Kikyo, and beyond. But the final memory that had been awoken within him turned into the most painful. In his hand laid a necklace, and attached to it was the Shikon Jewel in its whole form. Brent could feel the power emanating from it…coursing through his body…he was running away with it until-

“DIE INUYASHA!”

The voice rang out, and he heard the arrow unleash from its bow. Brent felt a sharp pain in his chest as the arrow pinned him to a tree; the Shikon Jewel flying from his hand.

“NO! STOP! KIKYO!” Brent screamed as his hand shot up to the exact spot the arrow had struck in the vision.

Brent looked up to see Kikyo standing a good distance away…bleeding profusely; her once pristine white clothing now tainted. Just as his vision went blurry Kikyo collapsed. All went dark…then Hisao released his grip.

The moment Hisao lifted his hands from Brent’s head, the young man fell onto his back, his hand still over where he had felt the arrow hit. Panic filled his eyes as rapid breaths entered and left his lungs. Kagome and Sango immediately knelt down to help him up.

“Brent! Are you OK?”

“Can you stand?”

The young man was helped up to his feet, but the moment he could stand he stumbled his way out of the hut with one hand on his chest and the other on his head. 

“Where are you going?!” Shippo cried out as he ran to the door.

“Leave him be.” Hisao commanded. “He is in a fragile state.”

“What did you do to him?!” Inuyasha growled.

“I did as I said. I showed him his former life. Yours. As of now he is currenly overwhelmed by many things. The sights he saw, the emotions he felt, even the pain he experienced. Tie that together with the fact that he now believes what I have told him. It is much to comprehend.” The All-Seeing Demon spoke non-chalantly. 

Everyone stared out the door to see the stumbling silhouette of their friend as he kept moving toward the cave entrance.

When Brent reached the outside world he fell to his knees. His hand still clutched the spot on his chest…it still hurt somehow…but his pain went beyond just the physical sense. Almost too much had gone on in his mind. There was Kikyo the first love. Betrayed and furious under false pretenses. The fights for survival. The wounds that were suffered. The doubt, the worry. And then came Kagome…the thoughts of her came so late, yet lacked visions…and Brent knew exactly how Inuyasha felt about her…about both Kagome and Kikyo. 

The newly discovered reincarnation couldn’t handle it. Tears welled up in his eyes as he tried to choke back the heartache, anger, confusion, and pain. Wet streams lined his cheeks as he lost all composure and sat there crying. Try as he might, Brent could not stop himself. Everything lined up in his mind after he’d received the brief summary from Kagome when he first arrived. His tears continued as he recollected his behavior recently. Raising his voice, the display of lack of trust, even punching Inuyasha when they met. Brent fell back against the rocky wall behind him as he tried to come to terms with everything laid out before him.

Back inside the cave, the discussion had not ceased as Inuyasha and the others tried to get all the information they could.

“So if Brent is here because of the corruption in Inuyasha’s soul then I would assume that he is meant to purify it.” Miroku’s response received a nod from Hisao.

“Inuyasha’s been around Brent for awhile now, and nothing has happened! How is he supposed to do it?” Shippo appeared deep in thought as he spoke.

“That is the one thing that I am unable to help with, regrettably.” Hisao bowed his head.

“Oh great! So now we don’t even know how to save the stupid mutt!” Koga groaned.

Everyone at this point was ignoring Koga. There were far more important things to worry about. They all knew he would do nothing but gripe now that he figured Brent to be another version of his rival. 

“Guys…I think I know who can help us…” Kagome looked a little troubled coming to a conclusion. “I think Kikyo might be able to help us…” Her eyes moved to Inuyasha. The Half-Demon diverted his own away. He knew how Kagome felt about Kikyo, but realized that this may probably be their only option. Kirara could sense the tension and walked up to nuzzle into Kagome’s hip.

“Do you think her Soul Stealers would be able to assist?” Sango looked to Kagome.

“You forget. We haven’t heard or seen a thing concerning her in a long time.” Miroku said.

“That doesn’t mean we can’t try.” Inuyasha said impulsively. This made Kagome a bit upset to see him so eager to find Kikyo.

“We’ll find a way. Whether it involves Kikyo or not.” The Monk spoke sternly sensing the growing tension.

“I’m going to go check on Brent. He’s been out there awhile.” Shippo stood up but Inuyasha had already stepped ahead of him.

“I’ll go check on him. I think I’m the one who needs to talk to him anyway.” The Half-Demon had barely gone through the door before Koga called after him.

“Hold it muttface! I want a word with you!”

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and just kept walking through the cave.

“What were they talking about when they said you had periods of memory loss?”

“That’s none of your business Koga.” Inuyasha scoffed.

“Hey! If I’m gonna stay here and protect Kagome then-“

“No one asked you to stay Koga! And like I said it’s none of your business! So butt out!”

The Wolf Demon stopped to watch Inuyasha walk towards the cave entrance. He’d find out eventually. He couldn’t keep that secret forever, Koga thought.

As Inuyasha stepped out into the sunlight he glanced around for Brent. He sat on the ground against the stony wall behind him. Not a word left his lips as he stared into the horizon. The young man didn’t even seem to acknowledge Inuyasha had appeared beside him.

“Hey. You OK?” Inuyasha didn’t know what he had been thinking going out there. What could he say? What could he do?

“I’m sorry…” The first words Brent spoke confused the Half-Demon.

“Sorry? For what?”

“For doubting you. Questioning you. Punching you. Everything.” Brent’s gaze never faltered.

“He showed you a lot didn’t he?”

“Yeah…Now I know why you are what you are. Everything thing you’ve been through…I’m sorry.”

“Cut it out. Everything that’s been done is in the past. We just need to move on.”

“I’ve had every belief I’ve ever had shattered since I came here and then some. This isn’t exactly an easy bridge to cross.”

“Look. I don’t know what I can say to help you, but know this, we will get you back home.”

A brief moment of silence hung in the air.

“Does Hisao know how I can help?”

Inuyasha couldn’t help but notice how Brent seemed so ready to help. He didn’t hesitate or argue. It appeared he was accepting everything that was thrust upon him. It took a moment for Inuyasha to respond.

“No. Seems that’s the one thing he doesn’t know.”

“And that means we’ll be searching for a way to fix it…” Brent huffed a little dejectedly. There they were, finally at their long awaited destination, only to learn their journey had not yet reached its end.

“Listen. I’m not asking you to-“

“Inuyasha you heard him. Your soul was contacting mine. If there’s one thing that’s happening right now it’s fate. Whether or not it relied upon me to purify your soul I would still do everything I could to help.” Brent looked up at Inuyasha finally. “I don’t care how your soul has been corrupted. We just need to find a way to rectify it. If it helps you go after Naraku, then I’ve got to help how I can.”

The Half-Demon had lost his words. It had become clear he underestimated his friend.

“Brent…Thank you…”

“Let’s just hope Setsuko can’t get her hands on me again. I’d rather not go through another…experience, like the other day.”

Inuyasha offered his hand and helped pull Brent from the ground.

“It’s getting late. Where are we going to stay?” Brent asked looking out over the orange horizon.

“Hisao can offer up his place. Not that he has much choice.” Inuyasha responded.

“Inuyasha?”

“Yeah?

“I think he already knows that.”

“Oh…right.”

The Half-Demon and his reincarnation head back into the cave to meet with the others. Their goal was clear now, but accomplishing it would be a whole new challenge. With Setsuko no doubt angrier than ever about Brent’s survival; they all knew that her next plan of attack would be no less brutal than what happened only days ago.


	31. Irritation

Too close. The perfect way to describe the previous encounter with Brent and his friends. Setsuko had been warned how fast the Wolf Demon could be, but until she had seen it with her own eyes; the expectation had been set rather low. Adding that swift Wolf to the group made Brent’s death all that much more difficult; this in turn made her ever more furious. No matter what plan the Lizard Demon concocted they always seemed to fall short. Hindsight laughed in her face as she wished she had just killed him up on the mountain; as opposed to making him suffer before death. Cursing under her breath, Setsuko sat silently on Kagura’s flying feather. 

“You seem to have a great deal of trouble killing that human.” Kagura kept her eyes forward.

Setsuko remained silent.

“You truly are a weakling. Can’t even face him yourself.”

“That’s awfully brazen of you when you have your back to me.” The Lizard Demon sneered.

“Please. I control the wind that surrounds you. Every errant twitch you make doesn’t get past my senses.”

Growling to herself, Setsuko sat in silence for the rest of the journey. Upon reaching a specific point Kagura again had her guest’s head covered so that she could not see where Naraku’s hideout lay.

The pair had traveled through the night and reached Naraku’s cave by daybreak. Light gently caressed the mountain they landed upon, and greeted Setsuko as the blinding garment left her head. Kagura led the way once again, but stopped shortly after entering the darkened passage.

“He’s not happy with you. I can feel it. Just thought you should know.”

This didn’t worry Setsuko as anger had taken over her emotions.

Sickening fleshy noises returned to their ears; growing closer with each step the farther they went into the tunnel. That was one image that had been burned into Setsuko’s mind. All the strange, pulsing flesh that adorned the walls and floor of the great cave that Naraku hid in. Once again the sight made itself known as she stepped into what sounded like a sickly beating heart. Kagura motioned for the Lizard Demon to walk ahead. The moment she stepped into the middle of the massive room, Naraku’s voice echoed around her.

“I have heard of your repeated failures. This does not bode well.” 

That cold, menacing voice seemed to cut through her. A hint of irritation could be heard in it.

“I have done my best to utilize the Demons you have sent to aid me. But-“

“You have tried three times now and all attempts have failed. Can you tell me why?”

“This most recent-“

The disembodied voice gave her no reprieve. “It is because of your incompetence. Your lack of strength. You only ever rely on those more powerful than you to do your bidding.”

“That damned Wolf Demon you mentioned joined with them! I had no-“

“I did warn you about him, but no matter. What’s done is done. Seeing as Koga caught you off guard this time I will pardon you. But heed me carefully Setsuko. You will get only one last Demon from me to aid you. Should you fail to kill that human, along with Inuyasha and his friends, your life is forfeit. I do not tolerate failure such as yours.” Naraku warned.

“And what makes you think I owe that to you?! You approached me! I-“

A gigantic fleshy tendril slammed into the ground before her; brushing up dust and rubble as she fell quiet.

“I gave you Demons from my body. A body that I am trying to repair. I have essentially given you my own life three times now, and all three times you let that life die. You are in my debt, and I shall take your life, unless someone takes it before me. Now go.”

The sickening purple tendril withdrew into a large mass behind it as Setsuko stood up. She knew it from the start. This had all been too good to be true. Someone offering her help she had no knowledge of, giving her Demons to aid in her quest, and now she is in his debt. If she had not considered just how weak she is before, the thought had certainly filled her thoughts now. Although he didn’t mention a word of it, but she knew that if she tried to run she would only be hunted until her head had been taken off. No more failures. This next plan must work! Brent will meet his death by her hand one way or another…and if she failed to kill his friends…then so be it. Tokage would be avenged. That is all that matters.

Kagura led the way out silently. Neither her nor Setsuko spoke a word as the brightly lit cave entrance drew closer. The Lizard Demon had to shield her eyes from the blinding daylight after having been exposed to the darkness of Naraku’s hideout. 

“So what will you do? Your very life is in danger now.” Kagura mused.

“I will devise a plan in time. The Demon that Naraku provides will help me determine this. As well as the surroundings of Brent and his friends.” Setsuko spat.

“Then I suppose you will need me to escort you back to where that meddlesome group was last seen.”

“If you could, it would be most helpful.” Setsuko sneered.

The sun had started to lie down behind the horizon on its way to bed as they approached the last known spot they were at. They did not land however. Instead, Kagura and Setsuko remained in the sky overlooking the area. It was nightfall during their search when something in the distance caught the intense eyes of the Lizard Demon. A sinfully wicked grin formed on her face.

“There! Have Naraku’s Demon meet me there! I shall take care of the rest!” Setsuko sounded all too eager, and overly confident with her order.

“As you wish. Though I don’t see how-“

“That’s none of your concern! I have many ideas forming in my mind as we speak!”

Setsuko looked down into her next plan; her final plan. This would work. She knew it would, and she knew exactly how to get the cooperation she needed…


End file.
